CHARLES RICHARD "Dick" POPE

POPE, Charles Richard “Dick”, 76, of Highland Ave., Coventry, passed away on Friday, August 21, 2020 at Massachusetts General Hospital.  He was the beloved husband of 41 years to Alison J. (Maresca) Pope.

Born in Abingdon, VA, he was a son of the late Stanley H. and Virginia (McCordle) Pope.

We mourn the loss of a truly great and amazing man of charm, charisma, and great character, and at times he truly was a character! Dick had a unique sense of humor and incredibly quick wit that couldn’t be matched. He was one of a kind, always looking to make someone laugh and feel good. Dick was a Southerner through and through, born in Virginia, spending his childhood in Nashville and early adult years in Georgia. Dick was a Veteran. He was most proud of his military service and to have honorably served his country in the Air Force as a pilot during the Vietnam years, for which his family is very proud of him. 

Dick had a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. He worked as National Sales Manager in the Medical Industry. In 1975, he met the love of his life, Alison, while he was in New York. After starting a family and settling down in Rhode Island in 1984, he became actively involved in the community of Coventry for the remainder of his years. He loved the sun and the water. He & Alison loved to spend their private moments together by the Lighthouse in Narragansett and often drove there just to sit and “be”. He loved to fish, golf, garden, scuba dive, and water ski. He also loved to cook! He often would surprise Alison with the most wonderful concoctions! Of course he wouldn’t eat any of it- he was a meat & potatoes man all the way (unless you gave him a good lobster & shrimp meal). Dick and Alison loved and owned many dogs and cats throughout their years together. Dick always gave their animal’s not only a person’s name, but also a middle name. His favorites were Sarah Jeanne, Timmy Bob, and Jenny Mae. He and Alison were business owners of a. Salon Galleria & Spa for over 20 years. They were awarded the citation of Coventry Business Persons of the Year by the Pawtuxet Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2004. He had a love for many sports. Dick loved to play basketball, he coached and umpired for many years in youth athletics in Coventry and throughout Kent County. He was even named the Commissioner of Pop-Warner Football one year. Dick was heavily involved with his children’s activities throughout their years, coaching his son, Justin, in all of his sport activities, as well as being active in the Boy Scouts of America while his son was a young scout. He was a huge supporter of his daughter, Kristen, while she performed in dance recitals and competed in the local and national pageant circuit. You would always see him in the audience, taking pictures, smiling and cheering for his daughter that he was so proud of. He was a huge and loyal Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcon fan, although in recent years he and Alison shared a love for the New England Patriots, except for the one year when the two teams played against each other in the Super Bowl back in 2017. Dick could sit for hours and watch John Wayne movies, listen to Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, The Kingston Trio, The Bee Gees, ABBA, and believe it or not, The Village People! YMCA and Macho Man were his favorites, he had such fun with those songs. 

He had an unmatched zest for life and a strong commitment to his family and faith. He served as a Deacon at the Community Church of Providence. He was very close with twin children Justin and Kristen, and adored his grandchildren Kaiya, Johnny, and Rhea. But the light in his eyes and his eternal love was his wife, Alison. It has been a love story for the ages. They have been “The Wind Beneath Each Others Wings” and have truly been inseparable for over 45 years, and had planned to renew their wedding vows. That was fulfilled while in the hospital in his final days. He loved deeply, although privately, and never ever went to bed upset or angry. He always loved unconditionally. We were so very blessed to be loved by him. 

Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Justin Pope and his wife Stephanie and Kristen Starziano and her husband John and Chuck Pope and his wife Carrie; his sister, Sue Pope; 7 grandchildren, Kaiya, Johnny, Rhea, Gavin, Wyatt, Kaden and Colton; sister-in-law Patrice Maresca Sehne; brother-in-law, Otto Sehne as well as his nieces Kasey Powell and Lara Sehne, his nephew Christopher Lancaster and various Pope cousins. 

Visitation will be held Monday, August 31, 2020 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm in the Iannotti Funeral Home at MAPLE ROOT, 2000 Nooseneck Hill Rd. (Rte.3), Coventry, with a Funeral Service and Military Honors to follow at 7:00 pm.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of CHARLES RICHARD "Dick" POPE, please visit our floral store.