Obituary of Richard D. Dushok

Richard David Dushok, formerly of Trumbull, CT, passed away on January 28, 2023 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 71.

Known as Rick to family and friends, he was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania on May 11, 1951. At age 16 he moved with his mother to Sandy Hook, CT, and proceeded to graduate from Newtown High School in 1969. He went on to study at Central Connecticut State University where he earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting in 1973.

Rick became acquainted with Muriel Mulligan after meeting her at a bar or at a wedding, depending on who you ask. They married on her birthday, April 8, 1978, and remained married for 44 years until his death.

Rick and Muriel welcomed a daughter, Alanna, in 1986 and a son, David, in 1988. Their children brought both sheer delight and gray hairs to Rick throughout the rest of his life, particularly when they insisted on riding the most extreme theme park rides when they were not yet tall enough to go on alone without an adult.

When he was not keeping up with his children, Rick enjoyed building his career as an accountant, working for a number of different local companies over the years, including FCD Corporation, Nash Engineering, Lewis Corporation, Eldorado, Homa Pump Technology, and Ambel Precision Manufacturing Corporation. He was both the president and the co-president of the Bridgeport chapter of The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business in different years, and enjoyed representing the chapter at the annual conference in Southern California. He especially took pride in his ability to manipulate Excel into doing his bidding, and would talk excitedly about pivot tables for hours on end with anyone who was interested in listening and learning.

In his limited free time, Rick enjoyed watching college basketball, switching his allegiance from UConn to Georgetown upon Alanna's matriculation to the university. He also enjoyed watching football at all levels, and was known to take in the occasional Saturday afternoon game at the Yale Bowl with his brother-in-law and friends. Rick was a big fan of black-and-white Westerns, classic Bond movies, and the computer game FreeCell.

Rick was also the yard work champion, logging hundreds of miles on his ride-on mower, though his enjoyment of the task was questionable. Regardless, he thoroughly enjoyed helping to hide plastic eggs in the freshly-trimmed yard at Easter and watching his children race like cutthroat maniacs to find the most.

Finally, Rick was also a big fan of The Moody Blues throughout his life, though he preferred hearing them live in concert over his children singing, in exaggerated falsetto, the chorus to "Nights in White Satin." The day before his death, a roving hospice guitarist played that and other songs for him, giving him a final gift of connecting with a lifetime of memories through music. For that kindness his family is eternally grateful.

Rick leaves behind his wife, Muriel Dushok, now of Milford, Connecticut. He also leaves behind his daughter, Alanna Dushok, and her partner, Tim Signorelli, of Alexandria, Virginia, and his son, David Dushok, and his wife, Dr. Sarah Malkowski, of Milford, Connecticut. He is also dearly missed by his four grandchildren: Willow Mae Dushok of Milford, CT, and Nikhil Enzo Signorelli, Poppy Alexandra Kwicinski, and Kiran Joseph Signorelli, all of Alexandria, Virginia.

Rick was predeceased by his mother, Luree Simko (1987), his favorite and exceptionally doting aunt, Grace Buttman (2005), three beloved family dogs (Kali, Harvey, and Katie), and the Dallas Cowboys since 1996.

Public visitation will be from 4-7 pm on Monday, February 6, 2023 at Abriola Parkview Funeral Home in Trumbull, with services happening at the same location at 11 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. Burial will take place at Newtown Village Cemetery in Newtown, CT in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Rick Dushok's name to the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org/ct  or to Connecticut Hospice of Branford, www.hospice.com.