Obituary of Richard Myron Shiff

Dr. Richard Myron Shiff, age 93, retired Plymouth and Duxbury optometrist, long active in community affairs, died peacefully at Jordan Hospital on December 14, 2010. Born on September 1, 1917, he was the son of the late Jacob S. and Fannie D. Shiff of Duxbury MA, and the youngest brother of the late Victor A., Helen L. and Philip B. Shiff. He is survived by his nephew Robert Haskill Shiff and a niece Elizabeth Vlahos and their families. Dr. Shiff was a graduate of Duxbury High School, class of 1933, and the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, class of 1941. From 1942 to 1947 he served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, opening his own practice in Plymouth and Duxbury in the following year. He retired in 1982. Dr. Shiff was a well-known and much beloved figure in both Duxbury and Plymouth, devoting many of his working and retirement years to active participation in community affairs, including Rotary International, The Jordan Hospital Advisory Board, the Plymouth Historic District Commission, national and state Optometry Societies and the MSPCA, of which he was a devoted member receiving the Appleton Award in 1999. Dr. Shiff was also a benefactor of the Plymouth Public Library, Jordan Hospital, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center, Yale University, Brandeis University and the Mass General Hospital. Funeral arrangements have been made by the Shepherd Funeral Home, Kingston, MA. A committal service is scheduled for 10 AM Wednesday, December 22 at the Mayflower Cemetery, Duxbury, followed by a Memorial Service at 11 AM at the First Parish Church, Unitarian Universalist. A reception, immediately following the service, will be held in the Harvey Assembly Hall.