Birth date: Jan 5, 1944 Death date: Jul 23, 2020
Richard Thomas Branca, 76, of Mount Dora, Florida, passed away on July 23, 2020. He was born in New York, New York and moved here permanently from Trumansburg, New York in 2013. Prior to that, he came here for several months each Read Obituary
Ciao caro amico, ho sempre con me il ricordo dei giorni in cui eri qui in Italia con noi. Avrei tanto voluto rivedere te e Russell, ma purtroppo non ho più potuto rintracciarvi. Grazie per aver passato un po’ del tuo tempo con noi a Genova, mi rimarrà sempre il tuo ricordo.
Ernesto Mangiarotti
Richard and I were friends in the late 60s and early 70s. He lived with my two friends and I in East Orange starting in 1968. In August 1969 Richard, myself and two friends (not our room mates) drove cross country, from NJ to California. We had many adventures along the way, including hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Sadly, he and I lost touch in the early 70s when I moved out of the country.
Richard was certainly a very unique individual, with his own take on things. He was always friendly and laid back and ready for an interesting conversation. I feel terrible that we didn't reconnect in recent years. I would like to express my sincere condolences to his wife and family. Charles G. Schade MD
Richard and I met at the beginning of our freshman year at Newark College of Engineering in Newark, NJ in 1961. I was 18 years old; Richard was 17.
We became friends quickly and had all of our Electrical Engineering classes together for 4 years. We had many adventures during the school years and during the summer breaks. No friend I’ve known since then has had a more lasting effect.
I knew Richard before he began his spiritual journey. Our friendship was forged when we were both quite young. Even in those early years Richard had a clarity of insight and a purely novel manner of expressing it. Once you heard what he had to say about anything, it was hard to see it another way. A few years after we were out of school, we lost touch finding our own paths.
We met up again in 2000 after Richard had completed his mission in Papua New Guinea. Richard came to our home from New York, where he was living, and visited with us for 2 days.
I included some photos from Richard’s visit in 2000.
I am honored to have had Richard as my friend for life and will miss him dearly.
Mario Ciasulli
Richard, you had a kind heart and loving way about you. It was always wonderful to spend time with you. We wish we were closer and could see you more often. You were always so kind to my mother and she loved spending time with you and talking to you. Our family will miss you very much.
Love
Silvia, Maria, Claude and Frances
Dear Richard,
I had the pleasure of sitting with you in the retreats at Tathagata Meditation Center. I also had the chance to meet your wife at the retreat. I am Tony Kim. I sat next to you in 2014 & 2018 retreats.
Through you, I got to see what it means to be an advanced practitioner both by observing you in silence and from the short conversations we had after the retreat. We rode the taxi together (you and your wife sitting in the back seat) to the airport (2014 retreat, I believe).
I was quite shocked when I saw the video uploaded by Daniel Ingram. The title of video mentions someone named 'Richard', but I had no idea it was you until I heard the voice.
It was a pleasure that I had the opportunity to meet and talk with you. May you rest in eternal peace.
Sincerely,
Tony Kim
