SHERBURNE – A lifelong resident of Sherburne, Richard Medbury, 83, died on Dec. 19, 2011 near Buffalo, where he’d moved in 2010 to be near family. The cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Richard graduated from high school in Sherburne and attended Syracuse University. For much of his life until retirement, he worked on road survey crews, mostly in Chenango County. He knew the region’s back roads and where to find the best views of the sunset.
Richard revered nature. He was happiest hiking in the woods and spending time at the recreational cabins built by and with his treasured friends. He loved trips to the Adirondacks and Yosemite, which he documented with photographs. An outdoor sportsman, over the years he immersed himself in hunting, downhill and cross country skiing, golf, skating, snow shoeing and snowmobiling. When he wasn’t in nature, he was equally at home reading a good history book or discussing current events and local news. He enjoyed “Judy’s” diner and life among his Sherburne neighbors.
Rich was enthusiastic about his friends and his family, including cousins in Florida, Chicago, and Maine. In a 1983 letter to his sister, Louise Gottlieb, he wrote, “I’ve spent many years smelling the roses, watching the clouds, sunsets, sunrises, listening to the wind and the birds in the trees, watching the waves lapping at the shore, and contemplating my own origin. But the people I love and care about are most important of all.”
He was an adored uncle to two nieces and five nephews. In addition to his sister, he is survived by his brother, Vincent Medbury and sister-in-law, Evelyn Medbury of Buffalo.
A memorial service will be held in the spring in Sherburne.