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REDDING, Conn. Richard "Dick" Burton Cuddeback of Redding died June 13 at his Meadow Ridge home. He was 90.
Cuddeback was born June 3, 1922, in Rochester, N.Y., to Irving Preston and Bertha Phillips Cuddeback. After completing high school, he worked at the Eastman Kodak Company where he met his wife, Thelma Catherine Hess. They were married in 1943 in Canaseraga, N.Y.
During World War II, Cuddeback served in the Coast Guard, stationed along the Gulf Coast. Following the war, he earned a bachelor's of science degree from the University of Rochester.
In 1949, he and his wife moved to Champaign, Ill., where he later received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1952. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois, he began a 33-year career with Union Carbide, retiring in 1985. He was a member of Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church.
Cuddeback is survived by two daughters, Cynthia Cuddeback Smith, of Rochester, and Marsha Ruth (John Michael Desmond) Cuddeback, of Baton Rouge, La.; a son, Richard Burton (Connie) Cuddeback Jr., of Wayne, Pa.; eight grandchildren and four nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Thelma, in 1997; a sister, Elizabeth Pudetti, in 1999; a brother, Robert Burton Cuddeback, in 2010; a nephew, Nicolas Pudetti; and his lifelong friends, Bob Hathaway and Hal Pyritz.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church. A small reception will follow the service. Burial will take place at White Haven Memorial Park in Pittsford, N.Y., at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church, 207 Main St., Ridgefield, CT 06877. Kane Funeral Home in Ridgefield is in charge of arrangements.
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