Richard A. Jozefiak, 73
ADAMS, Mass. — Richard A. "Dick" Jozefiak, 73, of Bridgewater, Vt., formerly of Adams, Mass., passed unexpectedly in his sleep, mid-September 2022, at his home on Bridgewater Center Road.
Born in Adams on Feb. 23, 1949, to Francis and Margaret DeBlois Jozefiak, he attended Adams schools and graduated from the former Adams Memorial High School in 1967. After high school, Dick went on to attend the Art Institute of Boston for the next three years and resided there until the early 1970s.
He returned to his hometown in Adams for a brief period when he and his high school girlfriend, Kirsten King, rekindled their relationship and married on Oct. 25, 1975, and moved to Thetford, Vt. After they divorced, he moved to Plymouth, Vt., and met Cyndi Belouin in May 1982 and married on Aug. 9, 1986. In 1992, they moved to their home in Bridgewater. They welcomed two daughters together and later divorced in 1996.
Dick worked for a commercial laundry company, Aladco, as well as a family gas station while living in Adams. When he moved to Vermont, he worked as a professional painter for George Pratt until he started his own painting business in the late 1980s. Dick was last employed by Woodstock Inn & Resort, beginning in 2008, as a painter until his retirement in 2018.
He earned the nickname "Dude" at a young age and it was used by close friends and family for life. One of his favorite titles was "Unkie Doo," as he was known to his nieces and nephew. The name that melted his heart was when his two girls gave him the title of Dad. Just as his father had been, Dick was adored as "Dziadziu" by his six grandchildren.
He was well-known for his famous barn hand-drawn cards and his handmade woodworking projects that he gave at Christmas. Dick enjoyed hunting and fishing and riding the roads with his late best friend, Phil Jones of Hartland, Vt., and cousin Stephen "Woody" Wood of Cheshire as well as a good game of cribbage and a cold Coors Light. In the spring and through the summer, you could find Dick maintaining and harvesting his beautiful vegetable gardens. He was acknowledged for his talent behind a six-string acoustic guitar and his singing and his home-cooked meals. One of his favorite past times was being able to visit and play with his grandbabies.
Dick is survived by his two daughters, Callie and her husband, Dylan McCullough, and Emma Jozefiak, all of Royalton, Vt.; six grandchildren, Amara, Hagen, Oden and Elora McCullough, and Cahya and Athiya Jozefiak; his siblings, older brother Michael Jozefiak and his wife, Karol, of Hubbardston, younger brother David Jozefiak and wife, Nicky, of Pownal, Vt., and younger sister Mary Dabrowski and her husband, John, of Adams, along with many nieces and a nephew.
Dick was predeceased by his parents, many aunts and uncles, and his best friend Phillip Jones. He will be forever missed and loved.
FUNERAL NOTICE: There are no burial or services at this time. There will be a celebration of life for Dick on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. at Dylan and Callie's family barn on North Road in Bethel, Vt. For directions or questions please contact Callie at 802-369-9468 or Emma 802-291-4205.