KILMARNOCK—Richard Norman “Dick” Rounds of Kilmarnock, passed away peacefully on January 6, 2025 at his home. He was 93.
Dick was born on October 3, 1931, in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was the son of the late Capt. Richard Thompson Rounds and Louise Franz Rounds.
Dick was married to his beloved wife, Elizabeth Keaveney “Betty” Rounds for 61 years, until her death in 2014.
Dick is survived by his sister, Judy Rounds Taylor; son, Rich Rounds (Theresa); daughters, Lisa Lyon and Tori Gold (Steve); grandchildren, Jenny, Savannah, Kenzie, and Jordan; and great-grandchildren, Blake, Karsyn, and Wesley.
The family moved to Cape Cod when Dick was 10. They lived in Hyannis Port where Dick made many lifelong friends. It is there that he learned to sail, which was one of his favorite hobbies. He was a member at the Hyannis Port Yacht Club and loved to compete in regattas. It is also on the Cape where Dick met Betty, at the Federated Church in Hyannis. They were married in that same church on October 9, 1953.
Dick graduated from Northeastern University in 1955 with a bachelor’s in accounting. In 1966, the Navy selected him to attend the Harvard Business School where he earned a master’s in business administration.
In 1956, Dick was commissioned as an ensign in the supply corps of the U.S. Navy where he rose to the rank of captain before his retirement in 1979. During his 23-year career, Dick served as supply officer of the USS Walke (DD-723) and USS Long Beach (CGN-9), served as energy adviser to the Chief of Naval Operations and as head of the Logistics Posture Branch of the Joint Staff. He also served on the Staff of Commander, Service Force, US Atlantic Fleet, the Naval Supply Depot, Seattle, Washington, the Naval Supply Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Aviation Supply Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Following his retirement from the Navy, Dick was hired as executive director of Medical Research Application Corp., a company that was conducting a clinical trial of LAAM, a synthetic opioid similar in structure to methadone but with less severe side effects. LAAM was approved by the FDA in 1993.
Dick also served as chief financial officer, and later, president of Pollux Corporation, a manufacturer of aluminum honeycomb in Jessup, Maryland. Pollux had a wholly owned subsidiary in Dallas, Texas, which manufactured control surfaces for airplanes.
In 1986, Dick and Betty purchased a summer home in Reedville. They also joined Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club, where they were very active. Dick retired from Pollux in 1993, after which he and Betty moved permanently to the Northern Neck, settling in White Stone.
Dick was an active member of the local community. Among other activities, he served as a volunteer at the Lancaster Community Library, as chief financial officer of the Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club and as Treasurer of the River Counties Chapter of the American Red Cross. Dick was an avid golfer and played with friends several times a week. One of Dick’s favorite sayings was “Another beautiful day on the Northern Neck”.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Bon Secours Mercy Health Foundation with the donation directed to Rappahannock General Hospital Care Fund, https://secure.givebsmh.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20005b?df_id=2187&mfc_pref=T&2187.donation=form1&pw_id=0&NONCE_TOKEN=23B684CF9A88BD27DBDA26F1C89C554D.
