Richard 'Dick' J. Mcfarland

HOLDEN - Richard “Dick” J. McFarland, 77, died peacefully, October 2, 2017, following an illness, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Northampton, Massachusetts on January 24, 1940, to James and Solveig (Hagen) McFarland. He then moved to Stamford, Connecticut where he spent his childhood. He attended the University of Connecticut, where he met the love of his life, Karyl Ohlund at a freshman dance. They married in 1963 and Dick joined the United States Air Force. He served on active duty from 1963 until 1967. The service took him to many places, most memorably to St. Lawrence Island, Alaska where he served as a Special Operations Weather Technician. Upon separating from the Air Force, he returned to Connecticut with his young family, to begin a career in Insurance. In 1973, he took a job in the Worcester area and resided in Holden where he remained a life-long resident. Aside from his love of family and community, he was passionate about sports. He followed all the teams but was an avid fan of baseball and golf. As a young man he caddied for over ten years giving pointers and becoming an astute pupil of the game. He remembered all the greats and recognized the newcomers as well. His most passionate sport was baseball. He followed the Dodgers until they left Brooklyn, and adopted the Red Sox as his team. He could recite stats from players and teams of today and yesteryear like an encyclopedia. This passion for sports did not stop at being a fan. He was dedicated to youth sports in Holden. As a young father, he and other community members were instrumental in developing both youth baseball and church basketball leagues in the town. His dedication to teaching the life lessons of sport to the youth of Holden was unyielding. He continued to follow the high school careers of his players in town even if they were not aware. Dick also served as a member and past president of the Holden Jaycees organization many years ago. Richard is survived by his wife of 54 years, Karyl Ohlund McFarland; his daughter, Diane and her husband, Peter McMorrow of Paxton; his sons, Bryan McFarland of Holden and his son Kevin McFarland and his wife, Michele of Oxford. His loving grandchildren, who were the apple of his eye and the heart of his soul, Hayley, Shona, Eamon, and Katey who will forever miss their “Bumpa”. Richard touched many lives. If you knew him and his family, we invite you to join us from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 6 to share a memory or story at Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. Funeral Service will be private. To honor the memory of a life well lived; please consider making a donation in Richard’s name to the Cancer Center at UMass Memorial Medical Center, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655. We also request that you take a moment to practice a random act of kindness to honor the legacy of a man who taught us the importance of always doing the right thing. To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, please visit our “Guest Book” here on this page.