Obituary of Richard Marden

Richard Marden, 66, died peacefully on Monday, October 10th, 2011, at the Togus VA Center in Augusta after a long struggle of Parkinson's disease. He was born June 18, 1945, in Belfast, the son of Wilbur J. Marden and Martha (Harris) Marden. Dick graduated from Crosby High School in 1963, Gorham State Teachers College with a B.S. degree in education in 1967, and later earned a M. Ed. in Math from the same college. He served in the military for almost three years during the Vietnam Conflict and was trained as a medic. Most of that time he was stationed in Germany, but routinely helped transfer severely wounded soldiers back to the United States. He lived with his companion and love of his life Becky Gibbons for almost 21 years. She was supportive and by his side until his death. He taught school and coached at various levels until he retired in 1987. Dick was known fondly as "Moose" and "Coach" because of his undying compassion for the game of basketball. Undoubtedly, his greatest passion in life was following harness racing and even when he could no longer leave the house his afternoons were spent betting on the horses through the use of the computer. Dick was predeceased by his parents, Wilbur J. Marden and Martha J. (Harris) Marden. He is survived by his companion, Becky Gibbons, his siblings, Peter and his wife Terry and their children Kendall, Angela, and Jamie and her husband Dante Ravelli, and their child Dario. Michael and his wife Ramona and their children, Jeremy and his wife Jen and their children Brenden and Trever, Tim and his wife Amy and their son Tucker, and Joe and Sherry Macleod and her husband Scott and their children Shawn and Travis and his son Deaglan. He was also very close to and survived by his aunt and uncle, Betty and Brownie Sanborn. He is also survived by a very close friend and horse racing companion Harvey Knight. The family would like to give a very special thanks to Dick's companion, Becky Gibbons, who was always there for support regardless of the situation. In lieu of flowers please donate to: Maine Parkinson's Society, 359 Perry Rd., Bangor, Maine 04401. A private graveside service will be held at a later date.