Dee Richard, longtime columnist for the TimesLedger Newspapers, died Tuesday afternoon, May 22 in her Beechhurst home.
Richard was widely known for her “Dishing with Dee” column.
Her last column and photo page were submitted on Monday, the newspaper wrote.
“When she wrote something it was the truth,” said her husband, James Darmos.
She succumbed after a brief illness.
“Stunned by the loss of Dee Richard — a wonderful, warm, gentle lady who forced me into the world of politics,” Councilmember Dan Halloran tweeted.
Richard, who met her husband in 1970, also worked for The Queens Courier and Queens Tribune.
“Dee devoted her life to the Queens community, probably taking more photos of Queens people than any other human being,” said Courier publisher Victoria Schneps-Yunis. “She was loved and respected by everyone she worked with, including me.”
Borough President Helen Marshall also sent her condolences.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of Dee Richards, a fixture on the Queens scene who seemed to be everywhere every day to illustrate our borough’s events. Dee’s wry wit, sense of humor, creativity and knowledge of Queens, its government and politics, combined to make her a welcome presence everywhere she went. On behalf of the people of Queens, I extend our heartfelt sympathy to her family, many friends and colleagues. Dee will be missed.”
Darmos said that Richard was a person of strength, pointing out that within three or four months of each other, she lost her mother, father and two sons.
Arrangements are to be handled by the Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, with a funeral Mass set for Saturday, May 26 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Andrew Avellino R.C. Church. She will be interred, at Nassau Knolls Cemetery, where her sons were laid to rest.
