HUGHES, RICHARD ATWATER - Fredericton - The family of Richard Atwater Hughes of Fredericton announces his death on October 17, 2011 at the age of 72 following a brief illness.
Journalist, broadcaster, speechwriter and media relations specialist, Richard Hughes had an interesting career both in New Brunswick and in the United Kingdom. His working years took him from the newsroom of The Daily Gleaner to editorial positions in radio, television and newspapers including stints with the BBC and Lord Beaverbrook’s Sunday Express in London.
His second career was with the provincial government during which he was founding member of the New Brunswick Information Service and during the following 26 years he provided media advice and speech writing services to Premiers Robichaud, Hatfield and McKenna. Following his retirement in 1993 Mr. Hughes developed an interest in genealogy and proceeded to research and write a comprehensive history of his family, one of the first Irish Catholic septs to settle in the Fredericton area, dating from 1816. The resulting document was accepted for preservation by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. He was also active in the Irish Canadian Cultural Association of New Brunswick and authored numerous articles for its magazine, The Shamrock Leaf. Richard Atwater Hughes was born in St. Stephen in 1939, a son of the late Hon. Charles Hughes and Edith (Atwater) Hughes. He attended Fredericton schools and upon graduation found himself in a summer job with The Daily Gleaner where he fell in love with the excitement of news gathering. “It was my lucky day when I first stumbled into journalism”, he used to say. Mr. Hughes is survived by his wife and partner of 30 years, Judy (Horvath); her children, Judy Savoie (Michel) and Kathleen Gyuk, all of Fredericton, his daughter, Spain Hughes-Fagan (Aidan), and their children, Charlie and Joseph, of Dublin, Ireland; his honorary grandchildren Andrew Blair (Beth), Patrick and Mathieu Savoie; his sister Barbara Hughes Campbell (Paul); his aunt, Florence Hughes, of Fredericton; nephews, Peter Hughes of Fredericton and Joseph Campbell, of Singapore and nieces, Lindsay Hughes and Rose Campbell (Ben Conoley) all of Fredericton. As well as his parents he was predeceased by his beloved son, Sean James Hughes, and his brother, C. David Hughes, Q.C.
The family will be greeting old friends on Sunday, October 23 at McAdams Funeral Home between the hours of 2 and 4. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, October 24 at the Hughes Family Church, St. Dunstan’s at 12:00 noon. Donations may be made to the Irish Canadian Cultural Association or the D.E.C.H. Foundation.On line condolences may be made at www.mcadamsfh.com