Richard Charles Dujardin, 77, of Providence, was taken into Heaven on August 15, 2022, on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. He died in a tragic accident while walking to Mass during a visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He was the beloved husband of Rose-Marie (Levesque), with whom he was married 54 years, and was a wonderful father, brother, and grandfather. He was a devout Catholic, with his faith at the center of his life.
Richard was a respected retired journalist, news junky, and ardent movie buff. He was an attentive listener and a humorous and engaging storyteller. He would whip out his camera or iPad during excursions and family events to capture the memories.
As a lifelong learner, Richard enjoyed organ lessons after retirement, attempted to re-learn conversational French, discovered that he enjoyed spectating local and college sports in his later years, and loved to travel. He was forever on the lookout for the best hotel, airfare, dining, and cruise ship deals.
Born in Queens, N.Y., in 1944, Richard was the oldest of four sons to the late Julien and Veronica Dujardin. He graduated from Chaminade High School in 1962, then went to Fordham University, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1966.
Immediately after graduation, he was hired by the Providence Journal and moved to Rhode Island. He later entered the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, followed by three years in the service as an officer on an ocean-going tug and an ammunition ship.
Richard then returned to the Journal, where he worked for 47 years – first in various bureaus around the state, 31 years as the religion beat writer, followed by several years as a breaking news reporter. He retired in late 2013.
Highlights of his career include being chosen as the pool reporter for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the United States in 1987, meeting the pope and other major religious figures and earning the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Religion Newswriters Association in 2015. He served as the association’s president and won several national religion writing awards.
He was an office holder at local chapters of several fraternal and French heritage organizations. He and Rose-Marie were communicants of St. Raymond’s Church in Providence for nearly 50 years and felt strongly about sending their children to Catholic elementary and high schools.
Besides his wife, Richard leaves their six children and their spouses: Julianne (Dominic) Grew, of Sharon, MA; Peter, of Newport News, VA; Philip (Bridget), of Dorchester, MA; Joelle (Scott Mowry) of Honesdale, PA; Jean-Paul (Stacy) of Barrington, RI; and Jeffrey, of Los Angeles, CA.
Richard is the loving “Popo” to 12 grandchildren: Monique, Conor, Megan, Matthew, Kathryn, Maeve, Ailish, Claire, Violet, Elodie, Veronica, and Gabriel.
He is also survived by his brothers and their spouses: Paul (Ginny) of Merrick, NY, Charles (Helene) of West Caldwell, NJ, and Robert (Priscilla) of Merrick, NY. He was brother-in-law to Christine Kevorkian, Charles Levesque, Vincent Levesque, Elizabeth Taylor, Michelle Tegan, Jeannine Henck, and their spouses. He was also the uncle to many nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be held Thursday, Aug. 25, from 4-7 p.m. at Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Higginson Ave., Lincoln, R.I. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, at St. Raymond’s Church, 1240 North Main St., Providence. Burial will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Providence.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to ‘Aid to the Church in Need,' www.churchinneed.org, or The Water Project, thewaterproject.org.