Richard Alves da Silva, 76, of Nashua, passed away at his home, surrounded by his wife, family and friends, Friday evening, March 28, 2025.
The youngest of five children, he was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on February 16, 1949, a son of the late Alexander Alves da Silva and Rose Pereira (Silva) da Silva. Richard grew up in Brockton and graduated from Brockton High School in 1967. An Army veteran, Richard proudly served his country from 1969 to 1972 when Uncle Sam came calling. Following his military service, he furthered his education at Massasoit College, earning his Associates Degree in Science in 1974 and went on to earn a BS/BA at Suffolk University.
Richard spent over 30 years working for the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), first at the Jamaica Plain VA and then the Bedford VA in Fiscal Service. He worked his way up from Accountant to Chief of the Department. Later in his career, he moved within the DVA to what was then known as Decision Support Systems (DSS), housed at the Bedford, Massachusetts VA.
After leaving the Army, Richard took up long distance running and held many race records in local communities for a number of years. He qualified for the Boston Marathon when the qualifying times for his age group had been tightened up to 2 hours and 50 minutes. Sadly, due to an injury, he was unable to run the race. During COVID, Richard taught himself to play guitar and proudly played for his wife, greyhounds and guitar friends. Richard loved to send videos of new songs that he had learned to play to his family and friends. He always shared them with his guitar group first. Ultimately his favorite pastime was playing with and walking his greyhounds, Bryndel, Carlee (aka his Cawlee-Flower), Louie and Franco.
Richard traveled to many places throughout the world, but his favorite places were those that he traveled with his greyhounds, like Greystock (GA); Greyhounds Reach the Beach (DE); Grapehounds (NY); Greyhounds in Gettysburg (PA); Burlington, VT and so many other places.
He was a proud member of the Lauren Bateman’s Fellowship of the Strings Community.
Members of his family include his loving wife, Patricia S. Klee (Nashua Ward Three Alderwoman); his four siblings, Nancy Lundberg and her late husband Carl, Robert da Silva and his wife Cora, the late Alexander da Silva and the late Rose Marie da Silva; nieces and nephews, Lynn Crapis, David Lundberg, Jeff da Silva, Sarah da Silva, Susan da Silva and Dan da Silva; dear family friend, Lynda Gillin; his beloved Greyhounds, Carlee, Franco, Bryndel (deceased) and Louie (deceased).
Richard’s true passion lived with his beloved greyhounds and all greyhounds. He was extremely generous in his donations to greyhound shelters. His hope in life and in death is that he could save every greyhound and have enough property to house many. He would read stories about the rescues from the shelters listed below and immediately take out a credit card and make a donation or sponsor a foster. It is his wish that any purchase of flowers should be put aside and the monies be donated to the following shelters: Fast Friends Greyhound Adoption, 14 W. Swanzey Rd, Swanzey, NH (603) 355-1556; Greyhound Friends at Saddle Hill Rd, Hopkinton, MA 01748, (508) 435-5969. In addition to his greyhounds, he loved being a member of his guitar group named the Fellowship of the Strings and to be one of the original members of Lauren’s Lifetime Fellowship. Richard will be interred at the New Hampshire Veterans’s Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway (Route 3) in Boscawen, NH, Thursday, June 19th at 11 a.m. Friends are invited to attend. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.farwellfuneralservice.com
The Farwell Funeral Service, 18 Lock Street, Nashua is assisting the family with arrangements.
