By:Scott Brinton
Beloved teacher, coach, he changed hundreds of students' lives for the better
Richard Daoust of Deer Park, a teacher at Bellmore-Kennedy High School for 33 years, loved his work, so much so that his students and colleagues nicknamed him "Mr. Kennedy." He was the kind of teacher who changed lives, giving hundreds, even thousands of young people perspective, direction, hope.
Mr. Daoust died suddenly of a heart attack on April 1, shocking the Kennedy High School community. He was 54 years old and only three months from retirement in June.
At Kennedy, he had excelled as an educator in and out of the classroom. He taught Advanced Placement government and economics. For 27 years, he was also Kennedy's boys soccer coach.
More than 500 family members, friends and current and former students recently mourned Mr. Daoust during funeral services at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church in Deer Park.
Mr. Daoust's mother, Ann Daoust of Baldwin, said her son always wanted to become a teacher when in school himself. "He found [education] very rewarding. He made it interesting. On spring break, his students would always come back to visit him. He would get e-mail from all over. He recently got an e-mail from Sarasota, Fla., from a student of his during the 1970s."
Mr. Daoust was born on Long Island and grew up in Buffalo, graduating high school there. As a student, "he was always into sports," said his mother. "Living in Buffalo, he played a lot of ice hockey. He was captain of the basketball team, a pitcher for the baseball team in high school. He was very sports-minded."
After high school, Mr. Daoust moved with family to Baldwin and entered St. John's University, where he completed his bachelor's degree. He also received a master's degree from Hofstra University and returned to school each summer, mostly to SUNY Stony Brook, to earn additional college credits.
In 1968, Mr. Daoust started teaching at Kennedy, which serves Bellmore and Merrick students. Before that, he had student-taught at Mepham High School in North Bellmore. "He was very, very happy at Kennedy High School," said his mother. "He liked the whole atmosphere, the whole ambiance. That was a help to him. He never missed work, he was never late."
In 1969, he married his wife, Mary Ann, and the couple moved to Deer Park in 1973. He met his wife of 32 years while the two were students at St. John's. They have three children, Michelle Kaddar, Danielle and Suzanne.
Michelle is an attorney in Babylon, Danielle a nursing student and Suzanne will graduate this spring from college with a degree in education. She plans to follow her father and become a teacher.
Danielle described her father as loving. "He impacted many people's lives, as a teacher, as a person, as a friend. He was always helping somebody. He was a father, but more of a friend.
"He always put education first. He always wanted my sisters and me to succeed in college. He was a wonderful husband to my mother.
"He was just a great man. He was one of those teachers that you always remember. He's almost like a legend. He's an unforgettable man."
Craig Papach, Kennedy athletic director, said, "He became Mr. Kennedy."
Lorraine Poppe, school principal, said, "He was a role model for students and colleagues, as well as a mentor to young teachers. He was always willing to help a student, a colleague, a friend."
In addition to soccer, Mr. Daoust also coached the boys volleyball team at Kennedy and the girls bowling team for the Central High School District.
1998 and 1999 were outstanding years for the coach. In 1998, he was named Conference VI Coach of the Year for volleyball. The next year, the boys volleyball team went undefeated for the season, and the soccer team reached the playoff semifinals. In 1999, he was named Nassau County Coach of the Year. He was also president of the Nassau Boys Soccer Coaches Association for many years.
Soccer was Mr. Daoust's passion. Two years ago, he traveled to the Netherlands to watch Holland's national team play. He had plans to go to the Czech Republic this summer to see the national team there.
Mr. Daoust's mother described him as "modest and witty, with a dry sense of humor."
"He always seemed to be in a good mood," she said. "I could have had five sons like him, because he was so easy to raise. He brought me a lot of happiness and joy.
"I never heard him complain. He liked to help people. He lived life to the fullest."
In addition to his wife, three daughters and mother, Mr. Daoust is survived by his father, Donald Daoust of Baldwin, and a sister, Mary Jane Sumner of Orland Park, Ill.
He was buried at St. Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale.
