The life of Richard "Dick" Boutwell of Jaffrey ended peacefully on Friday, September 18, 2026. He was 94 years old.

Dick was born in West Peterborough on April 17, 1932, and moved to Jaffrey with his father, Karl James Boutwell and his mother, Levida Pelletier Boutwell, when three years of age. He attended twelve years of school in Jaffrey, graduating from Conant High School in 1950. That same year he entered Boston University's College of Music. Before completing the course in Music Education, he was inducted into the US Army in 1953, serving in the Quartermaster Corps and later as a Chaplain's Assistant at the Port of Whittier, Alaska. After returning to Boston University in 1955 he entered the School of Education from which he graduated in 1957 with a degree in Elementary Education. His first assignment returned him to Anchorage, Alaska where he taught in elementary schools for four years. He also taught in Westport, Connecticut and Winchester, New Hampshire before his final seventeen years in Winchendon, Massachusetts, retiring in 1987. He did graduate work at the Universities of Alaska and New Hampshire, and at Plymouth, Keene and Fitchburg State Colleges. Being greatly interested in pipe organs, he worked for the firm of Czelusniak et Dugal in Northampton, Massachusetts for six years following his retirement from teaching. He rescued an 1898 pipe organ from the Baptist Church in Jaffrey which he rebuilt in his home in Richmond, New Hampshire. The spacious home became a site for hosting numerous family gatherings, potluck suppers, choir gatherings, and many musical programs including a high school chorus from Holyoke, Massachusetts and seven visits by the Madrigal Singers of the University of Massachusetts.

Music being one of Dick's great loves, he sang with his high school glee club and the choir of St. Patrick Church in Jaffrey. At Boston University he sang with the University Chorus, the Men's Glee Club and the Marsh Chapel Choir, touring with the latter two groups. He also sang with the Anchorage Community Chorus, the Westport Choral Workshop, the Monadnock Chorus and Chamber Singers, the Keene Chorale and the Peterborough Chamber Choir. He served on the board of several of these organizations and was the Jaffrey Town Chair for Monadnock Music.

Beginning piano lessons in high school, he continued in college and studied organ for a year at BU. For a year he served as organist at the Woodland Park Presbyterian Church in Spenard, Alaska and for thirty years was the organist and choir director of the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church. Following his retirement in 1999 he served many area churches as a substitute organist. He was also a Scottish dancer.

Loving the great out-of-doors, Mr. Boutwell spent many happy hours downhill skiing in Alaska and at many of New England's ski areas. He hiked many local trails, often in the company of friends or with one of his German Shepherds. He climbed Mt. Snowden in Wales, Mt. Katahdin in Maine and hiked three trails on New Hampshire's Mount Washington. Dick was familiar with every bottom to top trail on Mount Monadnock and all but two of the connecting trails. Bicycling was another passion which took him through five of the New England states and to Montreal, putting over two thousand miles on his bike. Gardening and home maintenance also occupied his time, and he cut and split all his own wood until he reached eighty years of age.

Mr. Boutwell was fortunate to be able to travel extensively following his retirement from teaching, often touring with the choral groups he sang with, and later doing seven home exchanges to England, Scotland and Wales. He toured in Eastern and Central Europe and Egypt with friends. On an excursion to Nepal and Tibet he visited the north base camp on Mt. Everest. With the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus he toured China and the Adriatic.

Dick was a member of The Keene Unitarian Universalist Church, Phi Mu Alpha, an honorary music fraternity, several education associations, The Monadnock Chapter of the American Guild of Organists in which he held a number of offices, The Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network, serving as their Northern New England Liaison; also the Audubon Society and the Appalachian Mountain Club as well as the Chiltern Mountain Club. For many decades, Dick was very active with the Jaffrey Historical Society, where he had held nearly every office, including that of President, and was a member of the Accessions Committee. He was their longtime archivist - whenever you wanted to find anything, or research anything, you asked Dick first. A few years ago, the Jaffrey Historical Society’s Archival Center was named after him in recognition of his service and dedication. He was also active with the Organ Historical Society, as well as having served on the board of the Richmond Arts Council. For many years, Dick arranged the summer concert series on the historic Henry Pratt Organ in Winchester. Mr. Boutwell also enjoyed being a volunteer driver for many years, first for the Red Cross and later with CVTC.

He is survived by his sister-in-law, Jean Boutwell in Jaffrey, his nieces and nephew, and several grand nieces and nephews. His sister, Joanne Saville, died in 2004, and his brother, Ronald Boutwell, died in 2021.

At their convenience the family will hold a private committal service at St. Patrick cemetery where Dick will be interred next to his parents. No calling hours or church services are planned.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance, PO Box 107, Jaffrey, NH 03452, or to The Jaffrey Historical Society, 40 Main Street, Jaffrey, NH 03452, or to a favorite charity of their choice.