Ricardo Hubert Romney

Sunrise: June 7, 1946

Sundown: January 24, 2025

On the morning of January 24th, accompanied by his loving family, Ricardo (Rick) Romney, age 78, passed away in the Medical ICU at BayState Hospital and entered into the Joy of our Lord.

Rick was born in New York City to Hubert Forbes Romney and Bernetta Jacqueline Romney. In 1963 at the age of 17, he volunteered for the Marines and immediately petitioned to be sent to Vietnam. A strong patriot, he wrote to his congressman saying he wanted “to help make the world safe for democracy”.

Following in the footsteps of his forefathers who were carpenters and builders, working to build the Panama Canal and the George Washington Bridge, he became a carpenter. He was active in Fightback, an organization dedicated to securing “heavy green construction jobs for Blacks and Hispanics in New York City,” just as his grandfather, Bertrand Taylor, had done working with Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins in the 1930s. He worked on many construction sites in New York City and Phoenix, Arizona. Like his father, he was a gifted and winning poker player and he loved playing cards to the end of his days.

At the age of 34, nine days after his wedding and while on his way to work in the early hours of the morning, he suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a motorcycle accident. After his accident he lived with his wife in Arizona and then with his sister and her family in Amherst, MA. He ultimately spent the rest of his life in full-time care: first at the Veterans’ Hospital in Leeds, then briefly at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Former State Senator Stan Rosenberg of Amherst, established a home for Rick outside of the VA hospital, by creating the first head injury program in Western Massachusetts under the auspices of Mental Health Associates of Springfield and as part of the Statewide Head Injury Program. Rick lived in a wonderful MHA facility, with one roommate and loving one-on-one care for his last twenty-five years.

He was predeceased by his wife, Deborah Mawson of Phoenix, Arizona. He was dedicated to his children: Nima Romney, and Nicole Martell of San Francisco, California, Rana Romney of Long Island, New York, and Ricardo Romney of Phoenix, Arizona. He also left six grandchildren, six great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as his former partner, Rev. Dr. Zorina Costello of Long Island, New York, and his sister, Dr. Pat Romney and her husband, Paul Wiley of Amherst.

Rick will be sorely missed by his family and his caregivers.

Visitation hours will be held on Thursday, January 30th from 4p.m.- 6p.m. with a memorial service beginning at 5:30p.m.

He will be interred at the Veterans’ Cemetery in Agawam, Massachusetts at 10a.m. Friday morning.

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com