Richard "Dick" Stanley Will

Richard “Dick” Stanley Will, 86, of Georgetown, TX, passed away peacefully at home on September 3, 2022 after a long illness.

Born in Hutchinson, Kansas January 13, 1936, the eldest of 3 children to Otto and Mildred (Newton) Will, he was an intelligent child who had a hard time sitting still, and was curious about how the world worked. This led to many family stories such as one where he almost burned down the family garage. He was also industrious from a young age, doing odd jobs, mowing lawns, delivering papers, and working in a greenhouse which he enjoyed. He was a noted athlete in high school football and track. In 1956 when he was 20, he set out to ride his 3-speed bike from Wichita, KS to Colorado Springs, CO. He rode alone with a few belongings and would “sleep in the basements of churches with open doors” along the way. His journey gained the attention of a few local newspaper journalists who encouraged him to go farther. He is recognized as the first person ever recorded to bike to the top of Pike’s Peak, a 1032 mile round trip.

Dick had numerous jobs throughout his life, including working for a railroad crew and a truck rental company. After graduating from Wichita State University he began a teaching career. While teaching high school English in a “tough neighborhood” in Houston, Dick met his wife and fellow teacher, Carol Ann Lumpkin. The “prettiest and smartest of all the teachers,” she was also willing to endure a hike along the Appalachian Trail with him, and so they married in 1972. Moving to the Washington, D.C. area, Dick began a career in financial planning and investments. Over the next 3 decades he built a successful business helping families and individuals throughout the area. The height of his career occurred while he was associated with the Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc brokerage firm. He brought in three partners during that time, who later carried his vision forward as part of RS Will Wealth Management, an independent wealth management practice in Frederick, MD.

A lifelong reader and learner, Dick had a strong interest in science, aeronautics, geology, horticulture, agriculture, medicine, history, and a library’s worth of other subjects, and happily discussed these topics with anyone. He learned to fly in his 30s, and was interested in all types of aircraft. He was physically active throughout his life, including running until middle age, hiking, and even learning to snow ski at the age of 50. His children have many fond memories of sharing these activities with their dad. He was always ready to spend time at the family’s cabin in The Woods near Hedgesville, WV, a place for him to recharge and commune with nature. He frequently had “projects” to work on, whether it was digging a pond, or hand-building a dry stone wall inspired by a trip to England. Travel was also important to Dick, with the many domestic and international family trips being learning opportunities. He considered Egypt his favorite destination.

Many knew Dick to be very generous, a trait inspired by his grandfather. During his 33 years in Gaithersburg, MD he was very active in the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, and the local and greater Washington, D.C. YMCA boards of directors. He provided many scholarships for deserving students to attend Montgomery College in MD. In the 90s Dick became interested in the effort to restore the American Chestnut Tree to the Appalachian forests, and joined the American Chestnut Foundation, eventually serving as its Board Chairman. In 2003 he was one of the sponsors of “The Spirit of Butt’s Farm,” a model airplane that made history by successfully flying across the Atlantic Ocean in 2003. In Texas, Dick was a member of the Sun City Rotary, where a program led him to become involved with the Gault archaeological site in Williamson County, TX, a dig which has revealed thousands of pre-Clovis human artifacts.

Dick is survived by his wife Carol (Lumpkin) Will, son Steven Will and wife Susan (Zykorie) Will, daughter Andrea Shannon (Will) Jaksik and husband Micah Jaksik, grandson August Jaksik, sister Leah (Will) Duncan, and brother Robert Will.

A memorial service will be held at Calvary United Methodist Church, 131 West 2nd Street, Frederick, MD 21701, on Saturday October 22, 2022, at 2pm. A reception will immediately follow at RS Will Wealth Management at Second and Market.

Donations in memory of Dick may be sent to The Will Group Foundation at PO Box 1476, Frederick MD 21702 or American Chestnut Foundation, https://acf.org/ .