Bourgelas, Richard E.

Richard Emile Bourgelas Sr., 62, of Millis, passed away on Friday, May 18, 2012, at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Born December 9, 1949, in Ludlow, he was the son of the late Maurice and Lillian Bourgelas. He was raised in Ludlow and was a graduate of Cathedral High School in Springfield.

He is survived by his longtime partner, Patricia Weafer; his son, Richard Bourgelas Jr., and his wife, Michelle, of Hanson; his daughter, Julie Soisson, and her husband, James, of West Lawn, PA; his stepdaughter, Meghan Cranney, and her husband, Greg, of Auburn; and his stepson, Jim Hart, of Millis. He was also the proud grandfather of 13 grandchildren: Kaili, Barret, Nathan, JD, Payton, Olivia, Adam, Gabrielle, Jacqueline, Logan, David, Lincoln, and Emerson. Also survived by his sister, Marie Bellner, and her husband, Jim, of Phippsburg, ME; his brothers, Ron Bourgelas and his wife, Janet, of South Windsor, CT; and Tom Bourgelas and his wife, Donna, of Portsmouth, VA; and his niece Nikki and nephews Jason, Scott, and Eric.

Rich had a lifelong passion for coaching soccer, starting out his career in 1969. He founded the Millis High School girls’ soccer program in 1985 and continued to coach the team for over 10 years. In 1999, he began coaching in Canton, where he coached girls’ soccer, lacrosse, and basketball and was the Boston Globe Division 2 soccer coach of the year in 2003. Most recently, he was an assistant girls’ soccer coach in Wellesley with head coach Kristen Maloney Walsh, his dear friend and former player. In April 2011, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame.

Soccer was a very important part of his life, but it was just one aspect of who he was as a man and how he inspired those around him. Rich was devoted to developing the youth in his life to reach their full potential in so many ways. He took great pleasure in watching his 13 grandchildren grow, attending as many performances and games as he could.

Rich was an avid dog lover, owning four boxers in recent years: Maggie, Willy, Bama, and his current sidekick, Brick, who will dearly miss his best buddy.

Funeral services were held Tuesday morning, May 22, in St. Thomas Church in Millis. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mills Boosters Club, P.O. Box 342, Millis, MA 02054. Arrangements by the Roberts Mitchell Funeral Home in Medfield.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on May 23 2012. Filed under Obituaries. Both comments and pings are currently closed.