Richard H. Cassin

Hampton – Richard H. Cassin, 83, passed away in Haverhill, Massachusetts on July 3, 2018, after a lengthy battle recuperating from a 2014 motorcycle accident. Richard was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on November 26, 1934 to Mr. Henry and Mrs. Annette (Auclair) Cassin. His family moved to Brooklyn and later Wantagh, New York. He was a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, Class of 1957, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now New York University Tandon School of Engineering) with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (first college graduate in his family), and later took graduate level Mechanical Engineering courses at Northeastern University in Boston. Having many offers to choose from upon graduation including an automobile designer position with the General Motors Corporation, Richard chose to stay closer to his family in the northeast and began his career at the Avco Corporation in Stratford, CT, designing what was at the time the earliest helicopters in the world, including the Helicopter Utility HU-1, later nicknamed the “Huey” used extensively during the Vietnam War. Richard earned his Professional Engineer license in the State of Connecticut in 1962. Motorcycles, motorsports, and aviation were a major part of Richard’s life. As soon as he was able to earn it, he purchased his first motorcycle, a Zundapp (German) 125cc model as a recent engineering graduate. This began a life of motorcycle racing and enthusiasm that he held onto for his entire life. Upon earning enough vacation with Avco (later Lycoming Corp.), he immediately set out upon a 3 week motorcycle trek across the United States in 1959, camping out at night, experiencing a cross country journey that ended in Santa Rosa, NM where he sold his bike for the airfare back to New York. He also earned his solo pilots license on a Piper J-3 Cub aircraft during this time period while a member of the Lycoming Flying Club. Prior to starting his family (and later with the kids, as a spectator), his weekends were filled with scrambles, dirt track, road and enduro (early motocross) racing events including motorcycle rallies at Laconia, NH, and Watkins Glen, NY. A life-long member of the American Motorcycle Association, he also was active in the South Shore (Long Island, New York) Motorcycle Club. Throughout his life, Richard also raced and/or owned Harley Davidsons, Moto Guzzis, Ducatis, Hondas, and Triumphs. The next adventure of his life was courting and starting a family with Jane Mary Cassidy, whom he met on Long Island through mutual friends in the early 1960s. Rich had taken a job with the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (later Grumman Aerospace Corporation/Northrop Grumman) located in Bethpage, New York. There he worked with hundreds of other aerospace engineers on the Apollo Lunar Module project. The products of his Grumman labor eventually resulted in the landing of the first man on the surface of the Moon in 1969. Richard and Jane married on July 4, 1963, at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Center, New York (his broken leg in a cast from a motorcycle racing accident). A Kings County Nursing School graduate, Jane jumped onto Richard’s roller coaster for a ride that would take them through the highs and lows of an aerospace/mechanical engineer’s life as the space race and Cold War heated up in the mid to late 1960s. Within a few short years, they resided in Glenn Burnie, MD, Alexandria, VA, Atlanta, GA, St. Louis, MO, finally settling in Denver, CO. During this period, Patricia, Thomas (deceased soon after birth), Richard, Edward, and Timothy joined the Cassin family. With the Martin Marrietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin Corp.) in Denver, Colorado, Richard was a senior aerospace engineer responsible for Top Secret classified duties, including the design of nuclear missiles such as the Titan weapon system used on USN nuclear submarines engaged in Cold War activities. Richard, influenced in part by his grandfather, Henry Joseph Cassin, was an active member of the Socialist Labor Party (SLP) of America. Despite the risk of controversy, he felt strongly enough about the goals and aims of the Party that he served as an SLP National Convention Delegate several times during his lifetime. With the ending of the space race and phasing out of the Cold War, Richard transitioned to work as a nuclear power plant engineer in the 1970’s. With several firms, including Gibbs & Hill (now AECOM) and Stone & Webster (now CB&I) Richard moved the family to Chesapeake, VA, then settled in Seabrook Beach, NH in 1972. By joining Jane’s extended family in New Hampshire, a long period of stability needed to raise a vibrant family was achieved. While based in New Hampshire, Richard pursued assignments mostly in the Boston area, but many times at remote power plant locations throughout the United States. This left the major burden of child care to Jane with generous support from her mother, Helen Cassidy, and sister, Ruth Ann Xavier, whom had both relocated from New York to New Hampshire in prior years. By the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Richard was diagnosed with mild mental illness and could no longer continue his engineering career. Despite this setback, Richard persevered to support his family by taking any and all jobs that would help the family. Sometimes this included being a gas station attendant, restaurant help, US Census surveyor, mathematics tutor/grader, and other transient assignments. Although no longer able to continue to perform his beloved duties as an aerospace/mechanical engineer (a 25-year career), he showed his family that he was not one to give up when things go bad. He was a Life Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In later years, a proud Irish descendant, Richard, joined the Ancient Order of the Hibernians and participated in many functions of the group in the Seacoast of New Hampshire. He was also a frequent patron/performer at the karaoke nights at Stacey/Jane’s Pub in Hampton Beach. Richard is survived by his sister, Ruth Ann Cassin, Saranac Lake, NY, daughter, Patricia Cassin/Warach, granddaughter Elizabeth, grandson, Colin, Dover, NH, three sons, Richard (Bernie) Cassin, Bernie’s wife Stefanie, grandsons, Andrew & Garrett, granddaughter, Maia, Somers, NY, Lieutenant Colonel (ret. USAF) Ted Cassin, Ted’s wife, Jennifer, granddaughters, Emily & Jessica, Divide, CO, and Tim Cassin, Tim’s wife. Stacey, grandsons, Ryan & Daniel, Derry, NH. In addition to his immediate family Richard is survived by his sister in law, Mary Cassin, brother in law, Daniel Cassidy, Dan’s wife Alice, sisters in law, Patricia Nielson, Ruth Ann Xavier, Ruth’s husband Ted, and Sister Nancy Cassidy, many loving cousins, nephews, nieces and friends. Richard is also survived by his “Motorcycle Family”; his friends Babe Ames, Wolfgang Furlong, and Frankie Theme and their families. Richard was predeceased by his wife Jane Mary (Cassidy) Cassin, his son, Thomas Jude Cassin, his parents Henry and Annette Cassin, his brother Peter Cassin, Peter’s sons Thomas and Peter, Grandparents Henry Joseph and Sarah Ann (Winward) Cassin, Grandparents Philip J. and Eva (Mainville) Auclair, and Grandparents in Law Daniel and Helen (Haynes) Cassidy. For the care and thoughtfulness Richard received over the years, the family wishes to extend special thanks to the Oxford Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Haverhill, MA and Hospice. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 A.M. Monday, July 9, 2018 at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, Ocean Boulevard, Seabrook Beach, NH 03874. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Greenland Road, Portsmouth. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Motorcycle Safety Fund 2 Jenner, Suite 150, Irvine, CA 92618 phone: 949-727-4211.

Richard H. Cassin

November 26, 1934 - July 3, 2018