Richard F. Puffer Jr. ’59

Dick Puffer, a man of many talents, died May 8, 2020, of heart and lung disease at home in Concord, Mass. A Connecticut native, Dick came to Princeton from South Kent School, where he played football and hockey, and sang in the chapel choir.

At Princeton, Dick played 150-pound football, sang in the chorus, ate at Cottage, and majored in architecture. After graduation he climbed into his MG and drove to Arizona, where he worked for several months in landscape architecture before seeking adventure by enlisting in the Marine Corps. After boot camp he was selected for OCS, and First Lieutenant Puffer steamed toward Cuba as a platoon commander in the 1962 missile crisis. After his hitch was up Dick got a master’s degree in architecture, graduating magna cum laude from Syracuse University, where he met and married Margaret “Peggy” Griffin.

Dick started his career at the Architects Collaborative in Cambridge, Mass., where his commissions included a number of corporate, school, and college buildings. He became a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1980, and two years later opened his own firm specializing in residences, historic restoration, and apartment conversions. His leisure activities included painting, birding, sailing, and bridge.

Dick is survived by his wife, Peggy; a son; a daughter; and seven grandchildren. We have sent condolences.