Richard Thomas LeFave

Richard T.C. LeFave (Dick), a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and accomplished leader, passed away peacefully at NY Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on July 26, 2024. He was a cherished resident of Voluntown, CT, and spent many years dedicating himself to his family, career, and passions.

Richard T.C. LeFave was born in Everett, Massachusetts, on December 9th, 1951, to Armand and Shirley LeFave with his brother, Gary, and sister, Judy. He was the beloved husband of Linda (Greenlaw) LeFave and loving father of Tom and his wife Jenny of Norfolk, MA, Jean-Paul and his wife Michelle of Houston, TX and Nicole and her husband Chris of Enfield, CT. He leaves behind many loving extended family members and friends.

Dick grew up in Everett, MA and attended the public schools, graduating in 1969 from Everett High School and entering Boston University as a pre-medical student. He commuted to BU from his parents’ home while maintaining a part-time job to defer expenses. He joined the BU Army ROTC program as a freshman and, at the same time, changed his major to Business Administration. He also joined the fraternal order of Pershing Rifles. He was awarded a 2-year Army ROTC scholarship, completed his undergraduate degree from Boston University, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps from Providence College.

            He married Linda Greenlaw in 1973 after college and has shared all these journeys with her as a true-life partner. The family expanded to include three talented children, who have added six and soon-to-be seven beautiful grandchildren. His youngest daughter, Nicole, teaches the 2nd grade in Simsbury, CT. His middle son, Jean-Paul, is a surgeon in Houston, Texas, and his eldest, Tom LeFave, is a Vice President in Technology for Fidelity Investments in Boston, Massachusetts.

            Dick attended military training at various bases around the United States. He served as a platoon leader and eventually a Company Commander with the 9th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. In 1975, he participated in Operation New Life, which supported the evacuation of refugees from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. He was subsequently assigned as the XO of a combat medical company in Korea; his last assignment on active duty was as a Company Commander with the 9th Medical Battalion, 9th Infantry Division. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, twice awarded the Army Commendation Medal, twice awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Korean Service Defense Medal, and the Expert Field Medical Badge. He was recently awarded the State of Connecticut War Time Service Medal for his service in Korea during the Vietnam conflict along with the CT Veterans award.

He left the active military in 1978 and settled in Seattle, Washington, to work for The Boeing Company as part of their Computer Services Company. He became a managing Consultant in computer science for Boeing. He completed his master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the University of Puget Sound. During this time, he accepted the Washington State Army National Guard position as the Information Technology Officer for the Army National Guard Washington. After eight years with Boeing, he and his family returned to New England. They settled in Acton, Massachusetts, where he held various leadership positions in technology, including Nixdorf Computer, Bay Bank Systems, and The Boston Company as a subsidiary of American Express, where he served as the Chief Information Officer. He also served with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, where he was subsequently promoted to Major in the US Army.

            In 1995, he took a position as Chief Information Officer with Southern New England Telephone (SNET) located in New Haven, CT, and moved his family to Connecticut, settling in Guilford. He served in this capacity until 1998 when SNET merged with Southwestern Bell and AT+T. He then chose a CIO position with Nextel Computers in Fairfax, Virginia. He elected to remain a resident of Connecticut and commuted to Washington, DC, during the week, ensuring his children completed their high school education. While at Nextel Communications, he was engaged in the evolution of the push-to-talk cell phone and assured the computer platforms were in place to deliver customer service to millions of Nextel subscribers. During his tenure, he attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 2003. After the merger of Nextel and Sprint, he was selected as CIO for the combined entity. He expanded his commute to include Kansa City, Kansas. During this time, the LeFaves chose to relocate to Voluntown, Connecticut, to an old farm near the Rhode Island border, where he and his family have resided since.

            In 2005, after three years as CIO, he retired from Corporate life and started his own Connecticut-based business for technology Consulting, D+L Partners, LLC. The company provided consulting services to companies such as Rogers Communications in Canada, Network Solutions, Booz Allen, and Ciena Corporation. He joined Amdocs Computer Corporation, a Fortune 500 technology provider to telecommunications companies, as a Board member. He has served on the Board since joining the Compensation, Audit, and Nominating and Governance Committees. He has been Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee since 2022. He was also the designated Cyber subject matter expert for the Board.

            He was an active corporate speaker and educator, providing leadership training for a myriad of audiences. Over the last five years, Richard has volunteered for the state of CT to assist with their technology needs. He provided leadership training for DESPP managers and specific project consulting for the State CIO. He was awarded the 2022 CEN Leadership Award for service to this State Agency.

Furthermore, he and his family have been providing volunteer support in Cambodia, building houses for villagers along the Mekong Delta. This effort has brought them to Cambodia for over eight years, where they engage in house construction and can provide help to a population decimated by political strife dating back to the Pol Pot regime of the 1980s.

            Dick has co-authored two books, including a technical book on technology outsourcing and a fictional book about managing technology companies. He was an amateur photographer and has published numerous photo books related to his photo shoots around the globe, including the Northern Lights in Iceland and Israel, the Great Wall in China, pyramids in Egypt, and whales in Mexico. He was also an avid New England sports fan and attended two Patriot Super Bowl wins with his son Tom.

Richard's life will be celebrated at a memorial service at the below details on August 23rd 2024 at 1:00PM

State Veterans Cemetery

317 Bow Lane Middletown, CT

Where family and friends will gather to remember the remarkable man he was. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Ferrara LeFave Family Stroke Scholarship Fund Spaulding Rehabilitation (details below) continuing Richard’s legacy of giving and service.

Fund Name: Ferrara LeFave Family Stroke Scholarship Fund Spaulding Rehabilitation

Development Office, 300 First Avenue, Charlestown MA 02129

Make contribution payable to “Spaulding Rehabilitation” and note the fund name - Ferrara LeFave Family Stroke Scholarship on the check’s memo line.

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