Richard Villari

Richard Villari, originally of Buffalo, NY, passed away at home with his family on May 7, 2009; he was 61 years old. He dealt with his illness of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) with the same personal grace with which he handled other life issues. Dick received his BA and MBA from the University of Buffalo and secured many licensures during the course of his career. His work in the healthcare industry included serving as President of Blue Cross (Buffalo, NY), Director and founder of the Community Blue HMO (Buffalo, NY), as well as President and CEO of combined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York, of which he orchestrated its merger. Dick later served as President of HealthLink of St. Louis, Missouri, COO of UICI of Richland, Texas, and most recently, President of RMSCO Inc. of Syracuse, New York. In addition, Dick was active with many community boards, including the Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice of CNY.

Besides his wife, Betty (Hejna), and children Dr. Anne Villari, Dr. Craig (Anne Brinker) Villari, and Stephen Villari, he is survived by his in-laws Ted and Irene (Napierski) Hejna, his sister-in-law Carolyn Hejna and children, his close cousins Bill (Carolyn) Fairl and Ellen (Gerry) Stay. Dick leaves behind many relatives, colleagues, and dear friends.

Despite Dick's many accomplishments, his greatest source of pride was his "three great kids." He can be described as a man of great integrity and personal strength, with a kind and gracious spirit; Dick was unpretentious, spontaneously nice, treated everyone equally, and possessed a well-timed sense of humor. He was a faithful friend and trusted advisor, and will be remembered for his "famous" quotes. Most importantly, he was an extraordinary husband and an extraordinarily exceptional father. Dick left the world a better place and those of us who knew and loved him are poorer in his absence.

A private service will be held at his home for Dick's immediate family; a memorial service for friends and colleagues will be held at a later date.

The family gratefully declines flowers; in Dick's honor, please pass along an act of kindness to someone less fortunate. If desired, donations may be made to MDA/ALS of CNY, the ALS Association- Upstate NY Chapter, Hospice of CNY, and The St. Vincent de Paul Society. Dick's family sincerely thanks all those who helped him through this journey, especially Hospice of CNY.