HAND, Richard C. passed away peacefully at his home in Brightwaters, New York at age 77 after a long struggle with illness. He is survived by his devoted wife of 51 years, Jean (Grover), his three loving children and their spouses, Jason Hand and Jennifer of West Islip, Brendan Hand and Kathryn of Islip, and Meghan Lambert and Connor of Brightwaters, and by his sister, Virginia Durett of Richland, WA. He was the treasured grandfather, “Poppy”, of Aiden Hand, Ciara Hand, Alexis Hand, Lauren Hand, Ryan Hand, Lily Lambert and Duke Lambert. He is also survived by five nephews and their children, and one niece.

Born in Brooklyn in 1944, the son of Henry and Virginia, (his older brother Henry, Jr. predeceased him), his family moved to Baldwin, NY, and then to Babylon Village where he attended school, graduating from Babylon HS in 1962. He went on to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA in 1966, and in 1969 graduated from Georgetown Law School.

Rich and Jean were married in 1970 at a chapel on the grounds of Holy Cross and lived in New Orleans, LA, where Rich was in Legal Vista working at the Desire Housing Project (aka the Lower Ninth Ward, later destroyed by Hurricane Katrina). They moved to Baton Rouge where Rich practiced prison law as a Reginald Heber Smith Scholar. During this time, he represented a prisoner on Death Row who, largely through Rich’s efforts, was finally paroled in 2006 and now lives with his wife, (who married him while he was still imprisoned), in Texas and works for a law firm there. The two couples became life-long friends.

In 1972 Rich began work for the ABA Prisoner’s Law Project and then in the Public Defender’s Office in Washington, D.C. as the family settled into Arlington, VA. For the next five years. An opportunity to return to their roots on Long Island presented itself when Rich accepted a position at the law firm of Reilly, Like & Schneider in Babylon. Sometime later, he co-founded the law firm of Zumbrunn & Hand in Babylon, and practiced there for many more years.

Rich was devoted to his family and community. He served on the board of the MLK, Jr. Health Center in Wyandanch, the Southside Hospital Board of Directors in Bay Shore, and The Learning Connection in Brentwood. He was a long-time member of St. Patrick Parish, where he and Jean were members of the Pre-Cana Team for many years, and of Babylon Yacht Club and Southward Ho Country Club. He was multi-faceted and multi-talented. He enjoyed playing sports, writing, drawing and painting, and getting to know people from all walks of life. He was loved and admired by all who knew him.

Reposing at the Frederick J. Chapey & Sons West Islip Funeral Home, 1225 Montauk Highway (1/4 mile west of the Robert Moses Causeway). Visiting hours 2:30-5 and 7-9 PM on Thursday, November 4th. Celebration of the Liturgy of Christian Burial at St. Patrick Church, 9 North Clinton Avenue, Bay Shore, NY at 10:00 AM on Friday, November 5th. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Learning Connection, 1725 Brentwood Road, Brentwood, NY 11717 or St. Patrick Parish Social Ministry, 9 North Clinton Avenue, Bay Shore, NY 11706.