Richard Eubanks Fearon

Dr. Richard Eubanks Fearon, 91, of Woodbridge, CT passed away peacefully at home on April 30th, 2026, next to his wife of 64 years, Elizabeth Oravec Fearon. Dr. Fearon, known to friends as “Dick,” was born April 7th, 1935 in Brooklyn NY to Frances Eubanks Fearon and Dr. Henry Dana Fearon, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, known to friends as “Betty.” He is also survived by his three children, Mrs. Amy Fearon Pitkin (William Pitkin), Mr. Richard Eubanks Fearon, Jr (Aisling Fearon), and Dr. William Fuller Fearon (Yvonne Karanas), by his ten grandchildren, Caroline, William, John, and Robert, and Margaret, Richard, and Caitlin, and Katherine, Nina, and Edward, and by his younger brother, Dr. Douglas Thomas Fearon (Clare Fearon). He was predeceased by his loving parents, Dr. Henry Dana Fearon, Jr. and Frances Eubanks Fearon, and his older brother, Rev. Dr. Henry Dana Fearon III.

Dick grew up in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he attended Poly Prep Country Day, captaining the football and baseball teams, and graduating cum laude in 1953. He attended Williams College, where he majored in English, captained the football team, played baseball, was an Officer of the Gargoyle Society, served as a Class Officer and College Council Officer, was Chairman of the Honor System Committee, and was President of his fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. He cherished the bonds he developed with teammates, classmates and fraternity brothers along the way.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1957, Dick joined the Cape Cod Baseball League as a third baseman, receiving an offer from the 1957 World Series-winning Milwaukee Braves, but instead enrolled in Harvard Medical School, where he graduated with a medical degree in 1961. Dick then traveled to Cleveland, OH to do his internship in Internal Medicine at the University Hospitals. It was there that he met the love of his life, Betty, who was serving as the head nurse. Dick and Betty were married in August of 1962 and moved to New Haven, CT, where Dick finished his training in Internal Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1963, followed by a Fellowship in Cardiology from 1964-1967. He and Betty moved to their home in Woodbridge in 1971, where they raised their three children and continued to host family holiday receptions for the next 55 years.

Dick believed in the nobility of life and his sacred role as a physician. He was one of the first Cardiologists at Yale-New Haven Hospital, establishing a private practice in Cardiology in New Haven, which he ran from 1967-2006. He was an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University and the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization laboratory at Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1968-1971. He received the Benedict R. Harris Award for teaching medical students in 1970. He fondly recalled learning from the giants in Cardiology and training physicians who went on to become the next generation of leaders in Cardiology. Although he was a Cardiologist, Dick prided himself in caring for the whole patient (and often many family members). He was “on call” constantly and would meet his patients in the Emergency Department in the middle of the night, after they called him with acute medical problems. During the holidays he arrived home with his arms full of thoughtful gifts from grateful patients.

Despite his busy work life, Dick always made time for family and friends. He could be found on the sidelines of his children’s and grandchildren’s many sporting events and extracurricular activities. He loved to play tennis, squash, and golf and frequently engaged in the friendly competition of club tournaments. He and Betty regularly enjoyed 18 holes together at their vacation home in Quechee, VT into their late 70s. Yet, he always emphasized the importance of education. He was a stickler for correct grammar and could be relied upon to adroitly “red-pencil” his children’s Hopkins School English papers, especially during commercial breaks of New York Yankee baseball or New York Giants football games, his two favorite teams. When not following sports, Dick read voraciously, everything from memoirs, to mysteries, to medical journals. Dick also prided himself on maintaining a well-manicured yard. He meticulously mowed the lawn, trimmed the shrubs, and raked the leaves on weekends, continuing this well into his final years. Dick was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he always captured the room. His children and grandchildren benefited from his thoughtful, level-headed, sage advice. His bedside demeanor--calm, deliberate, deeply attentive--was not something he left at the hospital door; it was who he was. Family and friends came to rely on him not for quick answers but for the rare gift of a thoughtful conversation.

Dick was deeply committed to giving back to his community. Over the years, he was the chairman of the Woodbridge Emergency Medical Commission, served on the Woodbridge Board of Education, volunteered at the Whitney Center, chaired the Board of Deacons at the First Church of Christ in Woodbridge, was on the Board of Directors for the Woodbridge Club, and chaired the Research Committee for the Connecticut Heart Association. He enjoyed being part of a team, establishing a goal, and seeing it accomplished.

Dick will be remembered as a loving and caring husband, father, and grandfather, a deeply-dedicated and astute physician, and a dependably loyal friend. He was a role model to his many friends and family and will be missed dearly by all who had the good fortune of knowing him. A memorial service will be held at the First Church of Christ in Woodbridge on Saturday, June 27th at 11:00 am, followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the First Church of Christ, 5 Meetinghouse Lane, Woodbridge, CT 06525.