On May 4, 2026, a bright light departed this plane to return to everything.
Richard “Dick” Edward Hart of South Burlington, Vt., born on September 29, 1951, in Rochester, N.Y., passed unexpectedly following complications from open-heart surgery.
Dick leaves behind his beloved wife, Susan; his children, Erik (Helen), Kristy (Jon), Amanda (Dustin), Shanta (Josh), Heather (Jeff) and Josh (Mia); nine grandchildren, Lexi (James), Stella, Payton (Logan), Ramsey, Mackenzie, Jackson, Caroline, Liam and Genevieve; and great-grandchildren, Sophie and Will. He is the blessed younger brother to Tom, Janice, and Patti and a deep and loving friend to countless others.
A 1969 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, Dick went on to graduate from Saint Michael’s College in 1973. After moving to the Boston area, Dad met his first wife, Cheryl. They eventually arrived in Colchester, Vt., where they raised their children and constructed a loving framework that grew as the family did.
As times and relationships changed, so did Dad. In 1989, he was set up on a blind date by Shanta with her mother, Susan Minoli, whom he fondly called “Minoli, my one and only.” This began the era of the “Brady Bunch (without manners),” as they each brought three more children to the family. Susan morphed him from the cat-hissing, uptight head of the blended family dinner table to a garrulous host of the backyard grill and circus. The years between their meeting and marriage in 2003 were a love affair all of us still cherish. The presence of his parents, Jack and Gert, during those years, brightened the blessings for all of us.
Dad was fearless, pivoting several times to embrace his dreams — from owning a bar in the Old North End and selling appliances in Burlington to completing a paralegal certification and spending a summer landscaping.
Dad sought out new ways to live while always having a warm smile and a cold beer for his friends and patrons at the Rotisserie, the Barnyard, the Old Post, Pour House, Vermont National, and Railroad & Main. If there is a licensed establishment in greater Burlington, Dad either poured beers or told stories there. You could never enter a restaurant without at least five patrons coming over to offer a joyful “Hullo!” His community support and decency are models to all who knew him.
To his family, Dick Hart was a man of boundless enthusiasm and support. Dad was always your biggest fan. He traveled the country to support his family — whether at graduations or on transcontinental road trips — and was always fully invested in your success and would let you know. This love was a gift to everyone who knew him.
In his early forties, he took up running after Susan introduced him to power walking. He took to this sport with great passion, perseverance and joy. Over the next 30 years he logged thousands of miles, running 10 marathons, dozens of half marathons, and team relays, such as the 100 on 100 and Reach the Beach. He was thrilled when all of his children participated in the 5 of Harts relay for the Vermont City Marathon.
Dad was a voracious reader, a love he bequeathed to his children. Weekends almost always included a trip to a library, and most spare moments not working or golfing would find Dick with his nose in a book or his nook, Susan nearby reading on their patio.
While we wish we could have had many more years with him, we are so incredibly lucky to have all the memories of Richard, Ricky, Dick, Dickie, Dad and Papa to soothe our broken hearts.
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
By that measure, I don’t think we will ever meet a more successful man.
A ceremony of remembrance will be held on July 25, 2026, 1 p.m., at the Old Post, 733 Queen City Park Rd., South Burlington, VT.
The family expresses deep thanks to the staff of the University of Vermont Medical Center ED/SICU/MICU, Miller 5 and hospice teams. Your care was superlative and an enormous balm in a time of grief.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Classic Mike Loyer Foundation (theclassicmikeloyer.org) or your local animal shelter in the name of Dick’s remaining fur baby, Freda.