Obituary of Richard R Linder

Richard Linder, beloved husband of the late Phyllis Linder, passed away on August 19, 2022 at the age of 87.

Richard was born in Boston, the son of Sally Linder and Leroy Gerson and adopted by Al Linder.  He grew up in Dorchester, was educated in Boston, and earned his Associates Degree from Northeastern University.  Richard also served in the Air Force and was 1^st Lieutenant for 6 years.

Richard first met Phyllis in a carpool with other Northeastern students.  When it came to decide the radio station to be played in the car, both requested the classical music station.  They might not have won the battle for the car radio station, but they found each other.  Their first date was to the Boston Symphony.  Richard married Phyllis when he was 24 years old. Over their 59 years of marriage, they continued their tradition of Friday night dates to the Boston Symphony, Pops, and many operas.

Richard worked at Raytheon for 38 years as an electrical engineer starting at Spencer Lab in Burlington and retiring from the Microwave and Power Tube division in Waltham.  After retiring from Raytheon, Richard worked for BCAT as Quality Engineer for 20 years and was the mastermind behind modernizing the studio.  After retiring from BCAT, Richard fixed lamps for Burlington seniors.

Richard’s love of music and technology led him to several other hobbies.  He was an avid photographer mastering high speed photography and as a young man learned to capture images of bullets speeding through bottles of colored water and TV tubes.  He was also a HAM radio operator with his college buddies.  In the late sixties, Richard and the Eastern Mass Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society (EMCATOS) rescued the Loew’s State Theatre Wurlitzer pipe organ, restored it in Babson College, and continued its maintenance through the decades.  Richard was so fascinated with the Van de Graaff generator, he built two of them from scratch, and would put on his wizard hat, and do demonstrations for the Burlington Public Schools.  In his spare time, Richard loved playing the organ whether it be the mighty Wurlitzer, the virtual organ he built, or his keyboard.

Richard was the beloved husband of the late Phyllis for 59 years before Phyllis passed away in 2018. He was the loving father of Cheryl Drewes and her husband Timothy of Auburn, WA and Susan Linder of Tewksbury. Richard was the loving grandfather of Isaac Drewes and his wife Valerie of Minneapolis. He was beloved nephew of Estelle Linder and her late husband Harold.  He was the beloved cousin of the late Peter Linder, Jeffrey Linder, and Jonathan Linder and his wife Kim. Richard was the loving uncle of Ann (Mason) Colby and her husband Chuck, the late Miriam Mason, and the late David Mason. He was the loving great uncle to Samantha Colby, Rachel Colby, Alexander Colby, Jamaal Mason, and Jaden Mason. 

Family and friends are invited to attend a Columbarium service at Pine Haven Cemetery, 84 Bedford St., Burlington on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 11:00 a.m.

Memorials in Richard’s name may be made to the American Theatre Organ Society at https://www.atos.org/donations.