Richard Luis Amill died peacefully at the age of 91 on April 19, 2024 surrounded by his family, in East Norwalk, Conn.
Rick was born on November 7, 1932 in New York City to Dr. and Mrs. Luis Amill and attended The Trinity School and later Brown University, graduating in 1954. It was at Brown where he met the love of his life, Nancy Jayne Amill and they married in 1955. Rick was predeceased by his wife of 46 years, who died in 2001. He remained dedicated to her every day of his life. He is survived by his sons Andrew (Susan), Alexander (Jesstyne), and daughter Sally, along with his grandchildren Ryan, Garrett, Sean, Kennison and Callie.
Rick enjoyed a career in educational textbook publishing. He held leadership positions at Time Inc, Silver-Burdett, Cowles Communications, Macmillan Publishers, Random House and McGraw-Hill. He eventually launched Learning Supplements, a pioneer in K-12 digital learning.
Rick was an avid reader, finding joy in current events, history, (especially anything about WWII) or novels by John Grisham. He believed strongly in service and community and was both a member, and past president, of the Kiwanis Club of Weston, Conn. for 25+ years. It was through the Kiwanis Club that he established multiple lifelong friendships.
Rick passionately believed in children and the mission of helping others. He taught in-person classroom reading skills to students in Bridgeport, Conn., and served as a mentor to elementary, middle and high school students in Norwalk, Conn. into his late 80s. He was a volunteer at Norwalk Hospital’s Outpatient Surgical Center, Emergency Room and The Whittingham Cancer Center into his 90s. He also volunteered at The Connecticut Food Bank, Read Aloud Program, Norwalk Reads, Homes With Hope, Gillespie Center and Open Doors Shelter.
Rick was a lifelong New York Yankees fan, having attended hundreds of Yankee games in his life, including numerous spring training games with family. He never left a game early — especially if the Yankees were behind — fully believing in a game-winning rally. He passed his love of the sport and his enduring optimism to all who were fortunate to know him. He was a devoted father, grandfather and friend.
The family would like to extend its thanks to the multitude of caregivers who provided care and support during this time, including The Whittingham Cancer Center, Norwalk Hospital, Waveny Care Center, Maplewood at Strawberry Hill, and Constellation Health Services.
Services will be private. The family requests that donations in Rick’s memory be directed to Open Doors Shelter of Norwalk, Conn. at opendoorsct.org.