Richard V. Peristere

Richard V. Peristere of Natick passed away on July 14, 2024.  Beloved soulmate and husband of Susan for 56 years, Richard passed with family at his side on Sunday morning. He was the consummate small town pharmacist, and the smiling face behind the counter who greeted you by name for 50 years. Richard was a gentle soul beloved by all who knew him.

Richard loved his four sons Loni, Richard, Justin and Peter, treasured his daughter in laws Juliette, Jessica, Melissa, and Stephanie and his 10 grandchildren Richard, Nicholas, Eli, Theodore, Eve, Samuel, Phoebe, Olivia, Lucas and Alexander.

Despite losing his own father in WWII when he was an infant, Richard became a great father. Richard was raised by his mother Christina Palli Peristere along with his brother John Themeli and a large extended family. Richard found his values through hard work, education, and the fraternity of his friends and their families.  It manifested to his boys in the quiet forehead kisses in the dark before work, and loudly in the shouts from the stands, sidelines, and auditoriums they played in.  “Yes” was always his answer, and despite his commitment to Jones Drug, he found the time to drive his boys and their friends to the athletic tournaments, climb at their side in the snow filled mountains of New Hampshire, or to spend the night with the boy scouts at the top of the Empire State building. 

Richard always thought of others and was a selfless giver and listener. Many of his customers at Jones Drug have a story of how he helped them when they were in need, whether that was over a holiday weekend, in the midst of a blizzard, or in the middle of the night. He took his role as a caregiver in Natick to heart and did all he could to support his neighbors.

Richard was a Natick guy, he sometimes seemed like Mr Natick, you could count on seeing him regularly on his walk to and from work along West Central Street, at Friday Night Lights at Memorial Field, and as a regular at the Elks where he talked with lifelong friends about the latest Celtics game or Natick’s recent gridiron performance. When his sons were young he helped establish a youth basketball league, coached and sponsored youth teams and Sue’s softball team. His passions were his family and friends, customers and community.  He was the president of his graduating class at Mass College of Pharmacy and awarded nationally as Pharmacist of the Year in 1996 by the American Pharmacists Association.

The wake will be held on Friday July 19th from 4-7pm at the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home 4 Park Street NATICK COMMON.  The funeral mass will take place on Saturday July 20th at St. Patrick’s Church 44 East Central Street (Rt 135) Natick at 11:30am.  Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend.  In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Mr. Peristere may be made to Natick High School Athletic Dept. 15 West Street Natick, MA 01760 or to FirefliesWest (https://ourhope.cityofhope.org/fundraiser/5598551) Loni will be riding in his memory to raise money for international cancer research via The City of Hope Hospital. 

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