Richard (Dick) Charles Gower, 88, died on January, 4, 2022, in Vero Beach, FL.
Born in Providence, RI, July 15, 1934, he was the second of three children of the late Harold and Florence (Graves) Gower. In 1953 he graduated from the Moses Brown School, and in '57 from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, where he majored in History, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a secret society known as "C," where he made lifelong friends.
Later in '58, upon graduating from the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School, Newport, RI,
As an Intelligence Ensign, he was assigned, during the cold war, to the Navy's secret Sound
Surveillance System (SOSUS), used exclusively to track the movement of the USA's enemy ships and submarines. SOSUS was so secret that the U.S. Government, for decades, refused to acknowledge its existence.
Working for SOSUS, from 1958 – 1961, Dick was stationed in a number of locations: Nantucket, MA; Shelbourne, Nova Scotia; Norfolk, VA; ad Key West, FL.
In 1961 he was honorably discharged as a Lt. J.G., but continued to serve for another 15 years in the Naval Reserve, and was a lifelong Patriot.
Upon returning home to Providence, RI, Dick began his 47-year career as an entrepreneur, salesman and HVAC specialist, taking over for his incapacitated father, Harold, at his fuel oil and service business White Fuel Co. (WFC). At that time, the company had only one oil delivery truck. During the intervening 46 years, until his 2007 retirement, he and his WFC team grew it from 300 customers to over 10,000. He cared deeply for his employees, who to him were his extended family.
During that period, Dick served on the boards and as President of two trade organizations, the Oil Heat Institute of RI and the New England Fuel Institute. He lobbied fervently and successfully in both the RI Statehouse and in the US Capitol for legislation to advance oil heat initiatives.
Dick was a larger-than-life bundle of positive energy! He was a strong and
Principled man, a man to be admired. What joy he gave the world with his beaming smile, that twinkle in his eye … and his ZEST for life!!! He was a blessing to the world, and a gift to all fortunate enough to know him.
Before El came along, he loved taking his young sons Curt and Rick, in the summer to vacation at a colony of cabins on the West Bank of the Westport River, where they enjoyed spending every day in a rowboat on the river, and in the river digging for their dinner of oysters and clams. All three of them loved the comradery of boating, fishing and in the winter, skiing together.
He also enjoyed hitting the links with his golf buddies, who were highly entertaining, with their stories and jokes, and they with his.
In his later years, he enjoyed spending time "tractoring" at his beloved Frog Hollow Farm, Westport, MA, diligently striving to steward the land and improve the view to the Westport River, creating senseless acts of beauty.
When the sun went down, the drinks were cold, and the piano hot, there was nothing he loved more than feeling the rhythm of that music in every fiber of his being and moving with it. And nothing was more fun for his partner … wife El or any of the others, who thrilled at how he could send them twirling and twisting out, the way he did, then reel them back in as if they were born to it. Many was the time, when he and El were dancing, that a lady would draw close, tap El on the shoulder, and ask, "May I cut in?" because, she had seen Dick in action, and HAD to dance with him. In fact, it actually happened at the funeral of a wonderful lady friend, that her son took the podium and recited all of her favorite things. Among them was "dancing with Dick Gower!"
He was predeceased by his older brother Russell and younger sister Carol Gower Moser, but is survived by his wife, El, the love of his life for 47 years, sons Curtis & wife Susan (Bristol, RI), Rick (Lake Elsinore, CA), granddaughter Brittany Gower McElhinney and husband Sean, 2 great grand-daughters Lila Rose and Maddie (Norton, MA), 5 beloved nieces and nephews and 10 Great nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in Westport, MA on Friday July 8th at 11:00 am at the Acoaxet Chapel, 36 Howland Road, Westport, MA, 02790. Phone # 774-309-3200
Posted online on June 25, 2022
Published in Providence Journal
Born in Providence, RI, July 15, 1934, he was the second of three children of the late Harold and Florence (Graves) Gower. In 1953 he graduated from the Moses Brown School, and in '57 from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, where he majored in History, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a secret society known as "C," where he made lifelong friends.
Later in '58, upon graduating from the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School, Newport, RI,
As an Intelligence Ensign, he was assigned, during the cold war, to the Navy's secret Sound
Surveillance System (SOSUS), used exclusively to track the movement of the USA's enemy ships and submarines. SOSUS was so secret that the U.S. Government, for decades, refused to acknowledge its existence.
Working for SOSUS, from 1958 – 1961, Dick was stationed in a number of locations: Nantucket, MA; Shelbourne, Nova Scotia; Norfolk, VA; ad Key West, FL.
In 1961 he was honorably discharged as a Lt. J.G., but continued to serve for another 15 years in the Naval Reserve, and was a lifelong Patriot.
Upon returning home to Providence, RI, Dick began his 47-year career as an entrepreneur, salesman and HVAC specialist, taking over for his incapacitated father, Harold, at his fuel oil and service business White Fuel Co. (WFC). At that time, the company had only one oil delivery truck. During the intervening 46 years, until his 2007 retirement, he and his WFC team grew it from 300 customers to over 10,000. He cared deeply for his employees, who to him were his extended family.
During that period, Dick served on the boards and as President of two trade organizations, the Oil Heat Institute of RI and the New England Fuel Institute. He lobbied fervently and successfully in both the RI Statehouse and in the US Capitol for legislation to advance oil heat initiatives.
Dick was a larger-than-life bundle of positive energy! He was a strong and
Principled man, a man to be admired. What joy he gave the world with his beaming smile, that twinkle in his eye … and his ZEST for life!!! He was a blessing to the world, and a gift to all fortunate enough to know him.
Before El came along, he loved taking his young sons Curt and Rick, in the summer to vacation at a colony of cabins on the West Bank of the Westport River, where they enjoyed spending every day in a rowboat on the river, and in the river digging for their dinner of oysters and clams. All three of them loved the comradery of boating, fishing and in the winter, skiing together.
He also enjoyed hitting the links with his golf buddies, who were highly entertaining, with their stories and jokes, and they with his.
In his later years, he enjoyed spending time "tractoring" at his beloved Frog Hollow Farm, Westport, MA, diligently striving to steward the land and improve the view to the Westport River, creating senseless acts of beauty.
When the sun went down, the drinks were cold, and the piano hot, there was nothing he loved more than feeling the rhythm of that music in every fiber of his being and moving with it. And nothing was more fun for his partner … wife El or any of the others, who thrilled at how he could send them twirling and twisting out, the way he did, then reel them back in as if they were born to it. Many was the time, when he and El were dancing, that a lady would draw close, tap El on the shoulder, and ask, "May I cut in?" because, she had seen Dick in action, and HAD to dance with him. In fact, it actually happened at the funeral of a wonderful lady friend, that her son took the podium and recited all of her favorite things. Among them was "dancing with Dick Gower!"
He was predeceased by his older brother Russell and younger sister Carol Gower Moser, but is survived by his wife, El, the love of his life for 47 years, sons Curtis & wife Susan (Bristol, RI), Rick (Lake Elsinore, CA), granddaughter Brittany Gower McElhinney and husband Sean, 2 great grand-daughters Lila Rose and Maddie (Norton, MA), 5 beloved nieces and nephews and 10 Great nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in Westport, MA on Friday July 8th at 11:00 am at the Acoaxet Chapel, 36 Howland Road, Westport, MA, 02790. Phone # 774-309-3200
Posted online on June 25, 2022
Published in Providence Journal
Richard (Dick) Charles Gower, 88, died on January, 4, 2022, in Vero Beach, FL.
Born in Providence, RI, July 15, 1934, he was the second of three children of the late Harold and Florence (Graves) Gower. In 1953 he graduated from the Moses Brown School, and in '57 from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, where he majored in History, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a secret society known as "C," where he made lifelong friends.
Later in '58, upon graduating from the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School, Newport, RI,
As an Intelligence Ensign, he was assigned, during the cold war, to the Navy's secret Sound
Surveillance System (SOSUS), used exclusively to track the movement of the USA's enemy ships and submarines. SOSUS was so secret that the U.S. Government, for decades, refused to acknowledge its existence.
Working for SOSUS, from 1958 – 1961, Dick was stationed in a number of locations: Nantucket, MA; Shelbourne, Nova Scotia; Norfolk, VA; ad Key West, FL.
In 1961 he was honorably discharged as a Lt. J.G., but continued to serve for another 15 years in the Naval Reserve, and was a lifelong Patriot.
Upon returning home to Providence, RI, Dick began his 47-year career as an entrepreneur, salesman and HVAC specialist, taking over for his incapacitated father, Harold, at his fuel oil and service business White Fuel Co. (WFC). At that time, the company had only one oil delivery truck. During the intervening 46 years, until his 2007 retirement, he and his WFC team grew it from 300 customers to over 10,000. He cared deeply for his employees, who to him were his extended family.
During that period, Dick served on the boards and as President of two trade organizations, the Oil Heat Institute of RI and the New England Fuel Institute. He lobbied fervently and successfully in both the RI Statehouse and in the US Capitol for legislation to advance oil heat initiatives.
Dick was a larger-than-life bundle of positive energy! He was a strong and
Principled man, a man to be admired. What joy he gave the world with his beaming smile, that twinkle in his eye … and his ZEST for life!!! He was a blessing to the world, and a gift to all fortunate enough to know him.
Before El came along, he loved taking his young sons Curt and Rick, in the summer to vacation at a colony of cabins on the West Bank of the Westport River, where they enjoyed spending every day in a rowboat on the river, and in the river digging for their dinner of oysters and clams. All three of them loved the comradery of boating, fishing and in the winter, skiing together.
He also enjoyed hitting the links with his golf buddies, who were highly entertaining, with their stories and jokes, and they with his.
In his later years, he enjoyed spending time "tractoring" at his beloved Frog Hollow Farm, Westport, MA, diligently striving to steward the land and improve the view to the Westport River, creating senseless acts of beauty.
When the sun went down, the drinks were cold, and the piano hot, there was nothing he loved more than feeling the rhythm of that music in every fiber of his being and moving with it. And nothing was more fun for his partner … wife El or any of the others, who thrilled at how he could send them twirling and twisting out, the way he did, then reel them back in as if they were born to it. Many was the time, when he and El were dancing, that a lady would draw close, tap El on the shoulder, and ask, "May I cut in?" because, she had seen Dick in action, and HAD to dance with him. In fact, it actually happened at the funeral of a wonderful lady friend, that her son took the podium and recited all of her favorite things. Among them was "dancing with Dick Gower!"
He was predeceased by his older brother Russell and younger sister Carol Gower Moser, but is survived by his wife, El, the love of his life for 47 years, sons Curtis & wife Susan (Bristol, RI), Rick (Lake Elsinore, CA), granddaughter Brittany Gower McElhinney and husband Sean, 2 great grand-daughters Lila Rose and Maddie (Norton, MA), 5 beloved nieces and nephews and 10 Great nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in Westport, MA on Friday July 8th at 11:00 am at the Acoaxet Chapel, 36 Howland Road, Westport, MA, 02790. Phone # 774-309-3200
Posted online on June 25, 2022
Published in Providence Journal
Born in Providence, RI, July 15, 1934, he was the second of three children of the late Harold and Florence (Graves) Gower. In 1953 he graduated from the Moses Brown School, and in '57 from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, where he majored in History, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a secret society known as "C," where he made lifelong friends.
Later in '58, upon graduating from the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School, Newport, RI,
As an Intelligence Ensign, he was assigned, during the cold war, to the Navy's secret Sound
Surveillance System (SOSUS), used exclusively to track the movement of the USA's enemy ships and submarines. SOSUS was so secret that the U.S. Government, for decades, refused to acknowledge its existence.
Working for SOSUS, from 1958 – 1961, Dick was stationed in a number of locations: Nantucket, MA; Shelbourne, Nova Scotia; Norfolk, VA; ad Key West, FL.
In 1961 he was honorably discharged as a Lt. J.G., but continued to serve for another 15 years in the Naval Reserve, and was a lifelong Patriot.
Upon returning home to Providence, RI, Dick began his 47-year career as an entrepreneur, salesman and HVAC specialist, taking over for his incapacitated father, Harold, at his fuel oil and service business White Fuel Co. (WFC). At that time, the company had only one oil delivery truck. During the intervening 46 years, until his 2007 retirement, he and his WFC team grew it from 300 customers to over 10,000. He cared deeply for his employees, who to him were his extended family.
During that period, Dick served on the boards and as President of two trade organizations, the Oil Heat Institute of RI and the New England Fuel Institute. He lobbied fervently and successfully in both the RI Statehouse and in the US Capitol for legislation to advance oil heat initiatives.
Dick was a larger-than-life bundle of positive energy! He was a strong and
Principled man, a man to be admired. What joy he gave the world with his beaming smile, that twinkle in his eye … and his ZEST for life!!! He was a blessing to the world, and a gift to all fortunate enough to know him.
Before El came along, he loved taking his young sons Curt and Rick, in the summer to vacation at a colony of cabins on the West Bank of the Westport River, where they enjoyed spending every day in a rowboat on the river, and in the river digging for their dinner of oysters and clams. All three of them loved the comradery of boating, fishing and in the winter, skiing together.
He also enjoyed hitting the links with his golf buddies, who were highly entertaining, with their stories and jokes, and they with his.
In his later years, he enjoyed spending time "tractoring" at his beloved Frog Hollow Farm, Westport, MA, diligently striving to steward the land and improve the view to the Westport River, creating senseless acts of beauty.
When the sun went down, the drinks were cold, and the piano hot, there was nothing he loved more than feeling the rhythm of that music in every fiber of his being and moving with it. And nothing was more fun for his partner … wife El or any of the others, who thrilled at how he could send them twirling and twisting out, the way he did, then reel them back in as if they were born to it. Many was the time, when he and El were dancing, that a lady would draw close, tap El on the shoulder, and ask, "May I cut in?" because, she had seen Dick in action, and HAD to dance with him. In fact, it actually happened at the funeral of a wonderful lady friend, that her son took the podium and recited all of her favorite things. Among them was "dancing with Dick Gower!"
He was predeceased by his older brother Russell and younger sister Carol Gower Moser, but is survived by his wife, El, the love of his life for 47 years, sons Curtis & wife Susan (Bristol, RI), Rick (Lake Elsinore, CA), granddaughter Brittany Gower McElhinney and husband Sean, 2 great grand-daughters Lila Rose and Maddie (Norton, MA), 5 beloved nieces and nephews and 10 Great nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in Westport, MA on Friday July 8th at 11:00 am at the Acoaxet Chapel, 36 Howland Road, Westport, MA, 02790. Phone # 774-309-3200
Posted online on June 25, 2022
Published in Providence Journal
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