He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 1, 1934, to Julia Cameron (MacKenzie) and Richard Fielding Quimby.

Dick graduated from Pinkerton Academy in Derry New Hampshire in 1952 where he excelled in both academics and athletics, He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Art/English. He set a record high score on the Miller Analogies Test and was invited to join MENSA. He later earned his master’s degree in psychology and counseling from Troy State University while also completing Air Force Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

He married Catherine Sheila Cassidy on February 18,1956 and they had four children: Terry, Julia, Tracy, and Keith.

Dick enlisted in the New Hampshire Air National Guard in 1954 as a medic which helped him pay for college through the GI Bill. Upon graduation in 1959 he attended the first Air Force Officer Training School class where he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1960. Dick studied navigation and was assigned to the 39th Military Air Transport Squadron at Dover AFB, Delaware where he would become the youngest Standards and Evaluation Flight Examiner in the Air Force. He was selected and attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Major Quimby then served a year in Southeast Asia ­ Vietnam and Thailand ­ as an intelligence officer during which time he learned the Thai and Vietnamese languages. His leaders noticed his impeccable writing skills and cross-trained him as a Public Affairs Officer serving at Loring AFB, Maine where he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and later transferred to Hill AFB, Utah, until his retirement on October 1, 1979. Dick was a co-founder of the Hill Aerospace Museum where he served as a board member for decades. He also worked for the Clearfield Job Corps Center where he created and directed a Military Training Program for several years, after which he moved to direct the center’s Safety Program Office, retiring a second time in 1998. He was also the president of the Clearfield Chamber of Commerce for ten years.

Dick was an avid reader, and collector of all types of books including ancient civilizations, philosophy, religion, aviation, military history, art, music, golf, and spy novels. He loved music, especially Big Band, the Rat Pack, and classical guitar and could often be found in a dimly lit room with a glass of wine with one of his albums playing on the turntable. He spent countless hours taking photographs of nature and his family, especially on camping trips and holidays. He was a kind and generous man who listened more than he spoke. But, when he spoke, people listened. He was a consummate professional and made friends easily. He maintained a circle of his closest friends his entire life, despite many miles of separation. He will be greatly missed, but the effect he had on a multitude of people will remain a part of his legacy.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sheila, his brothers Don and John (Jack), his parents Richard, Sr. and Julia Quimby, mother-in-law Hazel (Conrad) Zoerb, father-in-law Leonard Cassidy, brother-in-law James Cassidy, nephew Shane Quimby, and numerous aviators of the 39th Military Airlift Squadron.

Richard is survived by his four children: daughters Terry (Craig) Halverson, Julia (Paul) Quimby-Cohen, Tracy Sanchez, and son Keith (Audra) Quimby; grandchildren: Christine (Travis) Kearney, Brittany (Chris) Lewis, Alexandria (Justin) Walton, Cassidy Sanchez, Keilah (Ethan) Kneprath, Rachel Quimby, Connor Quimby, Nathanael Quimby; great-grandchildren: Justin, Skyler, Kasen, Paislee, Briggston, Colin, Basin, Oliver, Lucas, Grace, and Cohen; brother-in-law Leonard (Ginger) Cassidy, sisters-in-law Lillian Cassidy and MaryJane (Richard) Weber, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Interment with Military Honors will be at 10:00 am on Friday, May 29, 2026, at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, Bluffdale, Utah, for family, close friends, and military. Honorary Pallbearers will be Alan Bowen, Paul Cohen, Craig Halverson, Ethan Kneprath, Connor Quimby, Nathanael Quimby, CMSgt Keith Quimby, Cassidy Sanchez, LtCol (Ret) Paul Smith, and Justin Walton.

Please join us for a memorial celebration at the Mazer Memorial Chapel on the Hill Aerospace Museum grounds on May 30, 2026, at 10:00 am.

Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah or the American Legion Post 9, Derry New Hampshire.