Richard (Dick) Hultberg was born and raised in Worcester, MA. He was Valedictorian at his high school and went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree from Massachusetts College of Art. Dick served in the US Army during the Korean War as an MP, stationed at a base in Korea. Being a good son, he wanted to make sure his mother was at ease with him being in Korea, so he purchased a cheap movie camera and made a number of small films of himself doing different things around the base, always with a smile on his face, and mailed them back home. After Korea, Dick took a job with the Dept. of The Navy and moved to Washington DC. He and a friend decided to take a weekend ski trip to Black Water Falls, WV where he met his future wife Ellen. After marrying and taking a job with that new government agency, NASA, they bought their house in New Carrollton, MD where they raised their family and lived for 23 years. Dick retired early at age 55 and he and Ellen moved to their new home in Fernandina Beach, FL, where they lived for 34 years.

While in Florida, Dick joined the Island Art Association, where he displayed his paintings and worked part-time. Everyone loved his paintings! Gone were the days of abstract art from the 1970’s. He found his niche in realistic paintings of things found on the island including boats, dunes, lighthouses, birds, etc.

Dick rarely went anywhere without a camera, from 8mm movies and slides to polaroid’s and eventually a digital camera. He loved to take pictures of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren playing on the beach, swimming in the pool or at their sporting events. He also loved doing things with all of them, like hunting sharks teeth, getting in the pool or hot tub and making treats in the evening (root beer floats were always a favorite).

Dick Hultberg was a loving and well-loved man. He never raised his voice and the harshest words you would ever hear from him were “shoot” or “fudge.” He approached most problems with the thought that he could probably fix it himself instead of calling someone from the start. Sometimes it worked and sometimes not, but he was always willing to try. If it had been around sooner, he would have loved YouTube videos.

Dick is survived by his wife Ellen Peery Hultberg of West River, daughter Sue E. Osborne and husband Mark of West River, sons Richard R. Hultberg III and wife Kim of Forest Hill, MD, and Mark P. Hultberg and wife Carla of West River, nine grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Gary T. Hultberg, and brother Norman Earl Hultberg.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dick’s memory may be made to the Island Artist Association detailed under the Contributions tab below.