T. Richard Cuffe’s spectacular funeral at St. Pius Church in Lynn last week saw his family and friends fill the church for a last goodbye. I was privileged to officiate at his funeral Mass, which hosted a cross section of the North Shore and beyond.
Richie was married to Susan, his wife of 46 years, and his best friend, his helpmate, and the love of his life. Because of the long lines at Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home the night before his funeral, it was more than surprising to see the church crowded last Monday morning.
Richie touched a lot of people with his love, his generosity, his thoughtfulness and his humility.
When I came to Lynn in 1992 as the pastor of St. Mary’s and St. Patrick’s parishes, I was also responsible for the former St. Francis Church property in the Brickyard. St. Mary’s High School was hemorrhaging money and students.
There were very few bright lights at St. Mary’s in 1992. One very bright light was Richie Cuffe, a 1963 graduate who never forgot he was from Lynn and St. Mary’s. Thirty years later, St. Mary’s is a great success story with a burgeoning enrollment and two successful capital campaigns that have totally transformed a once-tottering institution.
In no small measure is the success of today’s St. Mary’s High School due to the support, diligence and wisdom of Richie Cuffe.
In 1992, Richie had already been on the St. Mary’s High School Advisory Board for several years. We hated the Sunday night meetings, especially during football season, for obvious reasons. At the first opportunity, we changed this horrendous practice, which made Richie and I exceedingly happy.
Richie was one of a very few people who knew the depth of our challenges and whose wise guidance helped to turn things around. He was the longest-serving member of the School Advisory Board and became a long-serving trustee after the school was incorporated from St. Mary’s Parish in the early 2000s.
His obituary contained some incredible facts that he never thought to mention or reminisce about except with other Vietnam vets. After Providence College, the Army recognized his leadership talents and sent him to infantry officer training at Fort Benning, Ga.
He then completed Ranger School, the Army’s most rigorous training in the late 1960s. He shattered an ankle during his first parachute jump, which could have led to his discharge. He refused the discharge and went on to a tour in Vietnam as an intelligence officer and mustered out with the rank of captain with a Bronze Star for heroic, meritorious achievement in a war zone.
After law school, he worked at the White House as part of the Carter administration before returning to Lynn and his partnership at Gordon, Moore, Primason, Cuffe and Weber — Lynn’s equivalent of the old TV show “LA Law.”
Always comfortable in his own skin, Richie’s humility was one of the defining elements of his character.
He was a man whose love and care touched hundreds, if not thousands, over his lifetime. He was defined by his loves: love for his wife, love for his children, his grandchildren, love for his God and his country, his hometown, his alma mater, his classmates, and all of his friends.
His life was cut short by a debilitating stroke he suffered seven years ago after touring the beaches of Normandy in France. His loves, however, energized him over these past years and allowed him to keep his complaints to himself as he continued to beam thoughtfulness and affection to others.
In the Christian tradition, a funeral is always a celebration of life and Richie’s was no exception.
Death is the ultimate healing and the moment that God welcomes us into eternal life. His Irish wake the night before his funeral took care of all the mourning so his funeral Mass could be about joy, hope, peace and a life well-lived.
His close friend, Walter Robinson of Boston Globe Spotlight fame, aka Robbie, eulogized him with a humorous golf story that has no equal.
His son Chris knocked it out of the park with a few anecdotes about his father that captured the greatness of a man who never sought the limelight but whose genuine goodness would light up a room.
Our world is a better place because of T. Richard Cuffe. May our memories of his life challenge us to live loving and generous lives, as well. May his memory be a blessing!
Msgr. Paul Garrity is a senior priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and former pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Lynn.
