Highly regarded native islander Richard "Dick" Caton gone at 71
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
Whether he was keeping score at high school sports games, fighting fires or regaling all who would listen with his repertoire of stories, Dick Caton always received one thing - the sincere respect of everyone who knew him.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Members of the Nantucket Fire Department stand at attention and salute as Dick Caton's coffin passes by on the steps of St. Mary's Church yesterday morning.

Born on Nantucket to Casmiro and Clara Caton, Richard Gilbert Caton died peacefully at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Saturday, Feb. 8, with loving family and friends at his side. He was 71.

"Dick was my captain for better than 12 years. I remember him as probably one of the best bosses I ever worked for. He was very dedicated to the fire service. He was a hundred per- cent fire department," said Fire Captain Tom Holden. "I consider myself very fortunate and a better firefighter because I got to work for someone like Dick Caton. He also never forgot the small things. If your wife or daughter was sick he'd pick up the phone and call. He was a very nice boss to work for."

Richard "Dick" Caton

Following graduation from Nantucket High School in 1954, Mr. Caton joined the Air Force and earned the rank of Airman First Class. While stationed in Presque Isle Maine, he fell in love with Phyllis "Bea" Bernier. The couple wed in 1957 and made their home on Nantucket after Mr. Caton was discharged from the service in 1959. The Catons, who raised four daughters on the island, fast became integral and well-liked members of the community. Mr. Caton was a familiar sight tending the flowers or decorating Christmas trees on Caton Circle at the top of Main Street near his house, carrying on a tradition established by his parents.

Though Mr. Caton was a devoted family man, he did not hesitate in his civic involvement. His fondness for woodworking led him to work for master carpenter Elmore Taylor, under whom he developed skills he gladly passed on to novices in the trade.

"I worked with him a long time before he went into the fire department," said Reggie Reed, another of Taylor's employees. "He was a decent workman. He earned his money. I liked him - he was a nice guy to work with."

That is also how the crew at the fire station felt about Mr. Caton. He began as a volunteer firefighter with the department in the early 1970s, became a member of the Fire Police, became a full-time driver and pump operator in 1979, received certification as an emergency medical technician and maintained his commitment to the department until he retired with the rank of captain in 1999 .

"Mr. Caton was a colleague as well as a good friend. We were close," said fire alarm superintendent Bob Bates. "He was the type of person you could depend on to help you out and you would do the same for him. He gave of himself to the community with everything that he could. He was a teacher; at the station he wanted perfection and he got it out of the people who worked with him. You wanted to do the job to the best of your ability, but you always wanted to satisfy Mr. Caton."

Fire Chief Mark McDougall worked with Mr. Caton for 10 years.

"He always had great stories. He had a great sense of humor. He liked jokes and he was a good joker himself," McDougall recalled. "He was very dedicated to the community. Personally, he left behind a lot of wonderful memories for everybody."

State trooper Kevin Bates was with the fire department from 1989 to 1999 and also spoke fondly of Mr. Caton.

"He was the perfect blend of leader, friend and mentor. Working with him, we had a lot of fun there but he was one of these guys who made sure that everybody knew their jobs," said Bates. "He was a father figure forever steering you away from heading down the wrong path. He was a great all around guy. I'm going to miss my good friend."

Besides standing out as a builder and firefighter, Mr. Caton was admired for his meticulous scorekeeping and careful eye on the clock during school sporting events. An accomplished athlete in his own right, when Mr. Caton was in high school he played football, basketball and baseball. As an adult, he kept score at Whaler football and basketball games and ran the time clock for more than 40 years. One of his greatest honors was being made a charter member of the Nantucket High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

George Gaspa, a Falmouth resident who grew up in Provincetown, met Mr. Caton when he would come to Nantucket to watch the Provincetown football team take on the Whalers and stayed at the Catons when fog prevented him from traveling home.

"Dick was great," he said. "When he and Bea came [to the mainland] we'd get together for something to eat. They were super people."

Former Whaler football coach and seventh grade math teacher Dick Herman said he knew Mr. Caton since the early 1970s and had all his daughters in class.

"He was very pleasant and very dependable," said Herman. "It's very important to have someone on your list who you know is going to show up, do the job and do it in a very pleasant way. He had good humor, but all our conversations were about sports. He was very knowledgeable about basketball and football."

Dennis Caron, a retired history teacher and former football and basketball coach at the high school, called Mr. Caton "a very great individual."

"I always respected his work time keeping and the scoring of games. He was just a wonderful guy and we'll all miss him terribly. He was one of the nicest guys to work with and just a pleasure to be around," said Caron.

Mr. Caton was a member of the Nantucket Firemen's Association, the John B. Chace Engine Company #4, the Maddequet Admiralty Club, Miacomet Golf Club, the Nantucket Booster Club, and an ancillary member of EMAIFO and the Cape Cod Football Officials boards.

Mr. Caton was predeceased by his parents, his sister Helen Hebert and his loving wife of 46 years, Bea Caton. He is survived by his daughters and their families: Roberta, Gary, Steven and Natalie Hamblin of Nantucket; Nanette and Peter Cardos of Nantucket; Carol Caton of Nantucket; and Patricia, Robert Jr., Kyle, Joshua and Amy Sandsbury of Marstons Mills, Mass.

A wake was held Monday night at St. Mary's Church. A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Mary's Church yesterday, Feb. 12, followed by interment in St. Mary's Cemetery. Donations in Mr. Caton's name may be made to the Marla Lamb Travel Fund through Nantucket Cottage Hospital, the Nantucket Firemen's Association or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 5005 LBJ Fwy., Suite 250, Dallas, Tx 75244.