Boxford - Richard Mathew Katis, 84, of Boxford, MA, the son of the late Mathew J. Katis and Margaret V. (Sassetti) Katis, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving daughters, on March 19, 2022, in Lincoln, MA, after a courageous battle with a sudden illness. Dick was preceded in death by his loving wife of 54 years, Mary E. (Stuart) Katis; as well as his sister, Marguerite, who died from polio as a teenager.

Dick was born in Oak Park, IL, on July 7, 1937, to a close-knit, extended family of Lithuanian and Italian descent. He was especially close to his paternal grandmother, Barbara Yushkaitis, and his aunt, Marie Juszkaitis, who both lived three blocks away—just a five-minute bike ride from his house on Lyman Avenue—where he would spend many happy hours mixing cement in his wagon, eating chocolate-covered Chicago Block donuts, homemade hamburgers and drinking Pepsi. He fondly remembered spending summers swimming and boating on Powers Lake and taking care of the animals on a family farm in Delavan, Wisconsin, as well as traveling along historic Route 66 on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon in 1951.

Dick graduated from Fenwick High School (Oak Park, IL) in 1955, where he received varsity letters in golf and swimming, and from the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN) in 1959 with a degree in Chemistry and a master's degree in Teaching the following year. He was a member of the glee club, swam the backstroke on Notre Dame's first varsity swimming and diving team, and formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. Dick relished driving to Ft. Lauderdale over spring breaks during his college years, where he met a fellow spring-breaker, a very sunburned Mary Stuart, who would later become his wife.

Dick started a teaching career at the Ransom School in Miami, FL, and later joined the McDonnell Douglas Corp. in St. Louis as a chemical engineer where he contributed to a project that resolved a window fogging problem on the Mercury space capsule. He later spent 20-plus years as an Executive Sales Representative for Mallinckrodt, Inc., where he managed territories in the Midwest followed by New England and New York.

A frequent visitor of libraries, bookstores and hotel lobbies, Dick loved reading about and discussing current events and random miscellany. He was infinitely curious and a consummate conversationalist. He could be called on to recall a name, a fact, or a date until the very end. He loved playing golf and spending summers on Cape Cod with his family and an extended group of friends. He had the ultimate repair kit: black tape, WD-40, and silicone goop. He loved fireworks, telling funny stories, and eating coconut ice cream. Most of all, he loved to travel. Some highlights include touring Ireland; Big Sky, Montana; Napa Valley, California; visiting Kuturiai, the village of his paternal grandparents, near Jurbarkas, Lithuania; and most recently, tracing his timeworn driving route to the paper mills of Madawaska, ME.

Dick is survived by his seven daughters, Susiemae Palmer of Andover, MA; Marguerite and her husband, Kenneth Sabatino of Westford, MA; Sarah and her husband, Eric Blum of Boxford, MA; Alexandria Katis of Tucson, AZ; Eileen Katis of Boston, MA; Laura and her husband, Mark Andrews of Novato, CA; Kathleen Katis of Haverhill, MA. He is also survived by his brother Jon Katis and his family of Nevada City, CA. In addition, Dick leaves behind nine grandchildren: Sean, Abigail, Anthony, Rosemary, Samantha, Carolyn, Grace, Charlie, and August.

Friends may call on Wednesday, March 23, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn Street, Peabody, MA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, March 24, at 11 a.m., at St. Rose of Lima Church, Park St, Topsfield. The Funeral Mass will be live streamed via the Church's website; www.agnesandrose.org. Burial will be in Ridgewood Cemetery, North Andover, and will be followed by a reception. Visit www.ccbfuneral.com for complete details or call 978-531-0472.