Richard Ashton Fearing

On May 4, 2018, Richard Ashton Fearing passed away at his home from pancreatic cancer. A beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, Rick will be missed by all. Rick was born July 4, 1951 to Roy E. and Bernadette M. (Straub) Fearing in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. He moved to Virginia with his parents and siblings during grade school and later graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia. He attended Virginia Tech, where he studied engineering. Following college, he married and started a family, making his home in northern Virginia. 

Rick was employed at the Potomac River Generating Station in Alexandria, Virginia for Pepco and its successor entities for 39 years where he literally kept the lights on for countless families throughout northern Virginia. Rick’s career with Pepco was interrupted for a few years when he moved his young family home to Allison Park to join his father doing residential home improvement at his father’s company, Fearing Remodelers. These were particularly happy years for Rick as he enjoyed working with his father and learned many skills that he used throughout his life. Later on, Rick returned to Virginia, making his home in Woodbridge, and resumed his career with Pepco.

When Rick wasn’t working at the generating station, you could find him coaching his children's sports teams, attending their events, repairing his cars, or making improvements to his home and yard. There wasn’t anything that Rick couldn’t fix. He took great pride in his work, both on and off the job. His skill and dedication to excellence is evident in every challenge he took on. 

He retired in 2011 to pursue new passions, including golf and camping throughout the eastern United States with his wife, Sally. He bought a house in Gainesville, Virginia and spent many hours turning it into an exceptionally lovely home. 

Rick will be remembered most, however, as a loving, devoted husband, brother, and father. He is survived by his wife, Sally L. Bromley, his brother Edward T. Fearing and his wife Cathy (Randall) Fearing, Thomas J. Fearing and his wife Nancy Holland, and his sister Lois J. (Fearing) Posney and her husband David R. Posney. He was a beloved father to his daughter, Lori A. (Fearing) Tong and her husband, Gary C. Tong, his son John A. Fearing and his wife Cyndi (Heid) Fearing, and his youngest daughter, Teresa A. Fearing. Rick will be further remembered as caring grandfather to Christopher A. Tong, Arianne E. Tong, Ashton C. Tong, Allison M. Fearing, and Everett A. Fearing and godfather to nephew, Stephen D. Posney and niece, Elizabeth B. Posney. 

Rick is survived by Sally’s children, her daughter Christina J. Abbott and husband Chris Nadeau, and her son Jamieson D. Abbott and his wife Jennifer E. (Znilek) Abbott. He was preceded in death by his wife Cynthia N. (Carlson) Fearing and is survived by her children, Tyler Maslankowski, Erik Maslankowski, Kevin Maslankowski, and Valerie Maslankowski. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Mary (Hayes) Fearing. 

Committal services were held on Thursday, May 11th at 11:00am in the St. Mary's of the Assumption Cemetery with Reverend Ronald Maquinana officiating. Local funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Dennis J. Daugherty Funeral Home, Freeport. 

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