Obituary of A. Richard "Dick" Willis, III

A. Richard “Dick” Willis, III of Northport, NY passed away October 10, 2023 at the age of 83 surrounded by his daughters, Stephanie and Heather.

Beloved husband of the late Dianne Willis.  Loving father of Heather Wine and her husband Brad and Stephanie Welke.  Dear grandfather of Jacob Welke.  Fond brother of Jeff Willis and wife Linda.  Loved uncle of David, Timothy and Todd.

Dick grew up in Huntington Bay where his love of the sea and boating originated.  He began working for his uncle at Knutson Boat Yard in 1958 and later took over the business together with his brother Jeff, forming Willis Marine Center in 1975.  Having persevered in running the marina operations up to his last days, he has been described as one of the hardest workers at the marina.

His love of boating included racing Ensign sailboats, the restoration and collection of antique mahogany speedboats and traveling with his family to fresh water lakes in New England for antique boat shows.  In addition to being an avid boater, Dick was also a car collector and enjoyed traveling in his motor home.

Visitation will be held at Nolan Funeral Home, 5 Laurel Avenue, Northport, NY on Sunday October 15^th from 1pm-5pm.

In Dick’s memory donations to the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc. www.huntingtonlighthouse.org for the restoration and preservation of the Huntington Lighthouse would be appreciated and remembered.