Gilmanton----Richard N. Abbott, MD, 88, of Gilmanton, New Hampshire and formerly of Natick, Massachusetts and Beverley Hills, Florida, died at New Hampshire Veterans Home, Tilton on January 26, 2007.
Dr. Abbott was born February 27, 1918 in Lewiston, Maine, the son of Laura Margaret (Newton) and Charles LeRoy Abbott.
Dr. Abbott grew up in Auburn, Maine and attended local schools. His family moved to Portland, Maine where he graduated from Deering High School in 1936. He graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine in 1940 and from Yale Medical School, New Haven, Connecticut in 1943. Dr. Abbott did his internship and residencies at New Haven Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Floating Hospital. He was a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1944 to 1946, serving in the Philippine Islands and the Army of the Occupation in Japan.
Dr. Abbott was the first pediatrician in Natick, Massachusetts, practicing there for forty-five years, retiring in 1987. He was school physician for several years to Natick, Dover-Sherborn, and Wellesley, and was on staff at Leonard Morse, Framingham Union, Newton-Wellesley and Children’s Hospitals. He was a lifelong member of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Dr. Abbott was a member and former Deacon of the First Congregational Church of Natick, a member of the Natick Board of Health, a member and President from 1960 – 1961 of the Natick Rotary Club, a Mason, and a Shriner. He was an incorporator and former trustee of the Middlesex Savings Bank of Natick.
He was an Eagle Scout with bronze, silver, and gold palms. He continued his involvement with Scouts throughout his life, wherever he lived.
He was an avid bait and fly fisherman, teaching his sons and grandchildren the “arte of angling”. As a child he started stamp collecting with a passion that spanned his entire life. He enjoyed water sports - swimming, sailing, and waterskiing.
Survivors include his wife of sixty-two years, Myrtle “Vonnie” L. (vonHagen) Abbott, R.N., of Gilmanton, NH; three sons, Donald C. Abbott of Norton, MA, Richard N. Abbott, Jr. and spouse, Monica, of Boone, NC and David W. Abbott of Oakland, CA; a daughter, Anne A. Boyd and spouse, Gilbert, of Gilmanton, NH; nine grandchildren, Specialist F4 Andrew, Tyson, and Paige Abbott, all of North Carolina, Michael, Rachael and Olivia Abbott, all of Massachusetts, and Jennifer, Gilbert and Richard Boyd, all of New Hampshire; and a brother, Charles L. Abbott, and spouse, Alice, of Beverly Hills, FL, and two nieces, Sally Cottrell and Audrey Abbott. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Donald. Dr. Abbott will be remembered by a host of cherished relatives, close friends, and former patients.
There will be no calling hours.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:30 AM on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, NH.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Doctors without Borders (333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001-5004) or the American Red Cross (American Red Cross, PO Box 96456,
Washington, DC 20090-6456).
Wilkinson-Beane Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH is in charge of the arrangements.
