On Monday, October 12, Richard Cavalier died of a broken heart. He passed peacefully in his sleep, just 54 days after the death of his beloved wife of 50 years, Sheila Cavalier.

At his core, Rich was a numbers man. He graduated St. James High School in 1968 and Drexel University in 1972, where he played baseball, a statistics-heavy sport that he loved for the rest of his life. He then spent his career working as an accountant and controller, finding purpose and satisfaction in a world of numbers, patterns, and answers that could be made to come out right. He once famously stayed at work for 72 hours because the company’s books would not balance. They were off by seven cents. In short, he believed that the numbers mattered, and that you stayed until the job was done. His commitment showed his family they could count on him. And they could.

Rich was also a details man. He preserved and remembered things. He held on to things others might have casually discarded. His attention to detail showed in his impeccable handwriting, his ability to recall dates and places, to remember names and faces of people he’d met decades before. His attention to detail showed his friends and co-workers that they could trust him and his work. And they did.

Rich was a golfer. He who rediscovered the game three decades ago when his son, Jonathan, took it up. In his later years, he was able to see and play some of the world’s great courses Pine Valley, Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Shinnecock Hills, Oakmont, Merion, Fishers Island, and National Golf Links. For his son, these days will always be part of his best memories.

Rich was a father. He believed in all three of his children. He was proud of Jonathan, a lawyer and golfer; Joshua, a soldier and business owner; and Sarah, an artist and animal lover. He pushed them to aim high, and he always believed they were capable of building good lives, even when they weren’t entirely sure themselves. When Sarah came to him with doubts, he reminded her: “You’ve always bounced back and are good at finding what you want.”

Perhaps most of all, Rich was a husband. He met his wife, Sheila Wood, in 1975. They bonded over Saturday Night Live and Bruce Springsteen, and married in 1977. They built their forever-home in Aston, raised three children, and spent more than four decades making it a place of stability and peace for all who were welcomed. As they grew older, they took turns helping each other through the things that became difficult. Years of ordinary days became an extraordinary life of loyalty, devotion and love. Over five decades, they never spent more than a handful of nights apart.

On August 20, 2026, Shelia passed away. Outwardly, Rich showed perseverance and strength, but to those close to him, his pain was apparent. For a numbers man, after spending 18,005 days as Sheila’s husband, 54 days without her was enough.

Rich and Shelia are survived by his son Jonathan Cavalier and his wife Heather Ryan; his son Joshua Cavalier and his wife Stephanie Dill; and his daughter Sarah Cavalier and her longtime partner Christian Layfield.

A Catholic funeral mass will be held for Richard on Tuesday, October 27th, at 11 am, preceded by visitation from 9:45 a.m., to 10:45 a.m., at St. Francis de Sales church in Lenni, PA, followed by a gathering to Celebrate of the Lives of Richard and Sheila at Terrain Garden Cafe in Glen Mills - 914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA 19342

Arrangements: Rigby, Harting & Hagan Funeral Home - Media, PA