Richard Bruce Kalfas

Richard was the son of the late Joseph Adam Kalfas and the late Frances Lucille Nicholson Kalfas, and was born on Jan. 12, 1942, in Dunkirk, N..Y. After his father’s death in World War II, Richard was raised by his remarkable mother, a nurse and talented pianist, and attended public schools in Russell, Pa., and later in Cassadaga, N.Y., graduating from high school in 1959. At Cassadaga Valley, and later at both Syracuse University and the University of Albany, Richard competed on the wrestling teams, and he enjoyed companionship and games of chess with schoolmates at Cassadaga Lake beach.

Though a steadfast proponent of peace and philosophically opposed to war, Richard served in the U.S. Army, when drafted, from 1966 to 68, including an assignment in Vietnam. After returning to New York, he took part in such active fun as automobile rallies, and motorcycle races on offroad tracks.

Richard’s marriage to Susan Thomas in 1976 celebrated a new chapter of loving friendship, and their son Gareth was born in 1980. At SUNY Fredonia, Richard completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology, which, along with his nurturing personality, contributed to his work with clients at The Resource Center in the 1970s. Other employment included work at ProtoTool Company and at Blackstone Corporation, and later as a rural mail carrier employed by the United States Postal Service from the mid 1980s until retirement in 2008.

Membership in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown supported Richard’s liberal religious faith, and membership in the Boys’ and Girls’ Club provided a place to share his love of soccer and knowledge of chess with young Jamestonians. Richard was a spirited competitor in sports, taking part in an adult soccer league well into his 60s, and coaching and refereeing youth soccer through the Boys’ and Girls’ Club for more than 20 years, and at Jamestown and Cassadaga schools. Richard’s most outstanding area of competition was in chess. During the national surge of interest in chess in the1970s and 1980s, he was a lead-

Richard Bruce Kalfas

ing member of the then very active Jamestown Chess Club, sometimes serving as tournament director and many times winning tournaments and championships at the city and county level, as well as traveling to take part in New York state, Pennsylvania, and national competitions. Especially rewarding were victories achieved together with Gareth in father-and-son-team tournament play.

Joy in and appreciation of many aspects of our world characterized Richard. He formerly raised both goats and chickens for fun and food in his old white barn, and each year cultivated a garden of vegetables and flowers – especially gladiolus. Richard loved classical music; many hours were enhanced by listening to broadcasts from WNED radio, with works of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin being special favorites, while among popular music performers Joan Baez, James Taylor and The Doors topped his lists. Summer evening concerts and plays at Chautauqua were a spe-cial treat. Exploring new landscapes and traditions took Richard and Susan to Canada and Hawaii, to Virginia and the Bahamas, to Tennessee and Bavaria, and to visits with wonderful family friends in Sweden and Germany. Getting together with longtime friends such as the Cassadaga 59ers was always a happily anticipated event. Decades-long enthusiastic support of the Tigers and Cardinals in baseball, the Bills in football, and the Bonnies in basketball added zest to his years, and each season found him successfully competing with longtime friends in fantasy sport leagues, and eagerly engaging in intense poker games with newfound friends.

Richard was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club, the American Legion, the Arbor Day Foundation, U.S. Chess Federation, and the Order of the Arrow, and was a supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Chanco on the James Camp and Retreat Center.

Surviving family members, in addition to his wife Susan of Jamestown, include his son Gareth and daughter-by-marriage Lynn, both of Spring Grove, Va.; his sister, Elaine Gale Edgren Schmader and her husband, Les Schmader, both of Lucinda, Pa.; brother-in-law, Leroy Frey of Reading, Pa.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Memorials may be made to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Jamestown (62 Allen St., Jamestown 14701) or the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (1255 Prendergast Ave., Jamestown 14701), or honor Richard by planting a tree or flowers that will bloom in years to come. A service of remembrance will be planned for a later time.