Fort Collins - Richard Fielding Quimby, Jr., 91, of Windsor, Colorado, passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family on April 22, 2026. Richard had previously lived in Fruit Heights and Layton, Utah from 1976 to 2024.

He was born in Lowell, Mass on May 1, 1934, to Julia Cameron (MacKenzie) and Richard Fielding Quimby.

Dick graduated from Pinkerton Academy in Derry New Hampshire in 1952 where he excelled in both academics and athletics, He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Art. He set a record high score on the Miller Analogies Test and was invited to join MENSA. He earned a Master's degree in psychology and counseling from Troy State University.

He married Catherine Sheila Cassidy on February 18,1956 and they had four children: Terry, Julia, Tracy, and Keith.

Dick had enlisted in the New Hampshire Air National Guard in 1954 as a medic which helped him pay for college. Upon graduation in 1959 he attended the first Air Force Officer Training School class and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1960. Dick studied navigation and was assigned to the 39th Military Air Transport Squadron at Dover AFB, Delaware where he became the youngest Air Force Standards and Evaluation Flight Examiner. As a Major he completed Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Dick then served a year in Southeast Asia – Vietnam and Thailand – as an intelligence officer and learned the Thai and Vietnamese languages. His impeccable writing skills took him from aviation to serving as the Loring AFB, Maine, Public Affairs Officer with a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. In 1976 he transferred to Hill AFB, Utah, until his retirement on October 1, 1979. Dick was a co-founder of the Hill Aerospace Museum where he served as a board member for decades. He worked for the Clearfield Job Corps Center where he created and directed a Military Training Program, after which he moved to direct the center's Safety Program Office, retiring a second time in 1998. He was also the Clearfield Chamber of Commerce president for ten years.

Dick was an avid reader, and collector of all types of books and he loved music, especially Big Band, the Rat Pack, and classical guitar. Dick could often be found in a dimly lit room with a glass of wine with one of his albums playing on the turntable. He spent countless hours taking photographs of nature and his family, especially on camping trips and holidays. He was a kind and generous man who listened more than he spoke. But, when he spoke, people listened. Dick was a consummate professional and made friends easily. He maintained a circle of close friends throughout life, despite many miles of separation. Dick will be greatly missed, but the effect he had on a multitude of people will remain a part of his legacy.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sheila, his brothers Don and John (Jack), his parents Richard, Sr. and Julia Quimby, mother-in-law, Hazel (Conrad) Zoerb, father-in-law Leonard Cassidy, brother-in-law James Cassidy, nephew, Shane Quimby, and numerous aviators of the 39th Military Airlift Squadron.

Richard is survived by his four children: daughters, Terry (Craig) Halverson, Julia (Paul) Quimby-Cohen, Tracy Sanchez, and son Keith (Audra) Quimby; grandchildren, Christine (Travis) Kearney, Brittany (Chris) Lewis, Alexandria (Justin) Walton, Cassidy Sanchez, Keilah (Ethan) Kneprath, Rachel Quimby, Connor Quimby, Nathanael Quimby; great-grandchildren, Justin, Skyler, Kasen, Paislee, Briggston, Colin, Basin, Oliver, Lucas, Grace, and Cohen; brother-in-law, Leonard (Ginger) Cassidy, sisters-in-law Lillian Cassidy and Mary Jane (Richard) Weber, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Interment with Military Honors will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 29, 2026, at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, Bluffdale, Utah, for family and close friends. Honorary Pallbearers: Alan Bowen, Paul Cohen, Craig Halverson, Ethan Kneprath, Connor Quimby, Nathanael Quimby, CMSgt Keith Quimby, Cassidy Sanchez, LtCol (Ret) Paul Smith, and Justin Walton.

Please join us for a memorial celebration at the Mazer Memorial Chapel on the Hill Aerospace Museum grounds on May 30, 2026, at 10 am.

Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah or the American Legion Post 9, Derry, New Hampshire at americanlegionpost9nh.org.