Growing up in the same neighborhood has its benefits. Take for example, the odyssey of the late Richard C. “Dickie” Sousa and this writer. Together we were able to strike a friendship that lasted over 70 years, right up until Dickie’s passing this past Aug. 28. He was 82 years of age.

I had visited my friend at the Dawn Hill Rehab and Health Care Center just a week prior and actually assisted in feeding him lunch. It was quite fitting that these final moments of our friendship would end in this way.
Dickie’s wife, Francine, called me personally to tell me that her husband had passed. I didn’t say much upon hearing this inevitable news, but I regrouped and told her how badly I felt. As an only child myself, this was a tough pill to swallow.

Going back in time, Dickie and I set the tone for our athletic interests by playing baseball and football in front of my home on Union Street near the corner of Wood St. at a time when traffic was hardly noticeable and the street was wide enough to hit the ball without any interference, or running for a touchdown in the same manner. But, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Dickie and I would take time out on other days and relax on my front porch to compare and salivate over valuable Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams baseball trading cards. I’ve never forgotten those days, and neither did Dickie.

As we got older, we both went through the Bristol School system…he as a budding athlete in football and baseball, and me as a fledgling newspaper reporter with these newspapers. We couldn’t have prospered better down either path.

A member of the 1961 Colt Memorial High School graduating class, Dickie learned his athletic lessons well from Hall of Fame coaches and teachers like Artie Pansa, Joe Gleason, Hector Massa, and Anthony E. Agatiello. He played baseball and softball on the Bristol Town Common with and against some of this town’s greatest athletes, and later served proudly as a member of the Bristol Police Dept. for nearly three decades before retiring.

Classmate and lifelong friend Jere Russo had this to say about his friend: “Dickie and I became very good friends over the years. One thing I remember, it was our 55th reunion at the Elks Club and as I was ordering a drink, he came over and said to put it on his tab. Well, I figured he meant all night and I thought that was very nice of him, so of course I had a couple of more and put it on his tab. Boy, he never let me forget it. I’m really going to miss him.”

Even after his playing days were over, Dickie felt it was time to get involved with some of the town’s athletic programs for youngsters, including his involvement as president of the Bristol High School Boosters for Football and Hockey. He also served as the Assistant Manager for the Bristol American Legion baseball program, vice president of the Bristol Little League and Babe Ruth League, and president of the Bristol Pop Warner Football League.

“All we heard about growing up was how Mr. Sousa was the Police Officer in our community that everyone loved,” said Mark Rhynard. “As we grew older, he was always present offering support wherever it was needed. He became one of the most respected men in our athletic community. Mr. Sousa’s legacy will now live on forever and we will never forget what he’s done for all of us.”

A member of the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame, Dickie also became a future president of the Hall of Fame Committee, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

“This committee is very important me,” he said as time went on, “and I’ll do whatever I have to make sure we keep this organization intact.”
Dickie was also proud to have been named winner of the Bristol Fourth of July Committee’s Hattie Brown Award in 2011, and was one of this town’s biggest supporters of the annual Summer Music Preview Drum & Bugle Corps competition. Aside from the love he shared with his immediate family, nothing stirred his imagination and interest more than the drum and bugle corps movement.

Gary Palumbo, who was also a close friend, had this to say, “Dickie was a great teammate playing softball with us on the Town Common with Denny’s Tap. He was also an incredibly funny guy. We celebrated with the best of them as we won championships throughout the years. Dickie was a great guy with a huge heart. His involvement in youth programs portrayed his ability to lead and mentor young athletes. There are certain people in life that make a positive impact on others, and Dickie was one of those guys.”

Indeed, looking back on those days of yesteryear, having begun life playing alongside Dickie Sousa in our familiar neighborhood was an experience I’ll always remember and cherish. I’ll miss my old friend.