Richard Treacy, of East Norwich, began his journey in martial arts when he was 5 years old, in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich PAL martial arts program.
He earned a black belt in karate when he was 18. By then, the sport had changed his life, his father, Stephen said. Richard was always intuitive and sensitive — something of a peacemaker — and karate gave him a quiet confidence and an unyielding vigilance when it came to protecting others. If someone was bullied or ignored, Richard was there for them.
“Karate really caught his attention and was his passion,” his father said. “He was always a quiet guy, with big old puppy-dog eyes. He matured and blossomed into all that he could be. Karate touched his body, mind and spirit.”
And it came in handy in the real world. When Treacy was 18, he visited his older brother, Tom, at Boston College, and he was jumped by seven men. “He took the first three guys down hard,” Stephen said. “The karate kicked in. It wasn’t his nature, but when challenged, he had control of the mind, situational awareness, the spirit of what’s important, and was able to act when compelled to do so.”
After attending Villanova University, Treacy moved to Manhattan and lived there for 12 years, working as a recruiter and then in the human resources at Pfizer. But in January 2021, he didn’t feel well. Three weeks later, at age 35, he died of pancreatic cancer.
“It was the middle of Covid, and being an introvert and a private person, he told us he’d handle it,” his mother, Mimi, said. “He didn’t even know he had pancreatic cancer, because the results didn’t come back until after he had died.”
For the past two years, on Sept. 19, Richard’s birthday, the Treacys have honored their son. Last year, they donated a gift card in his name to St. Dominic Catholic Church in Oyster Bay. Richard had attended the church’s elementary and middle schools before going on to Chaminade High School.
This year they are sponsoring two children who have their hearts set on learning karate, but can’t without receiving tuition assistance. The Treacys will cover the children’s tuition, and pay for their outfits, belts and anything else they will need at Oyster Bay-East Norwich PAL martial arts. The couple believe there is no better way to honor their son than to carry on what was most important to him — karate — by giving others the opportunity to learn it, too.
“We want to sponsor who is in earnest, most enthusiastic to learn karate but are financially needy,” Stephen explained. “We want other kids to have the same opportunity Richie had. Karate taught him to do the right thing even when no one was watching.”
Richard was generous, Mimi said. She thinks he would have approved of their scholarships.
“When he got his first paycheck, he came home and said he wanted to take $500 from it and buy food for the needy, which he did,” his mother recalled. “Then he took it to the pantry at St. Patrick Church in Glen Cove.”
Andrew Hall, the instructor, or sifu, at the PAL program, described Treacy as a hard worker, dedicated and focused. His character was revealed, Hall recounted, when he entered his first tournament, when he was 15, and lost quickly.
“That could have taken the wind out of his sails,” Hall said. “When Richie came back to me, I thought he was going to say he didn’t want to do another tournament, but he asked me when the next one was. In the next tournament, he took third place. He’s the type of student I wish they all were.”
Other students looked up to Treacy, Hall said. His hard work seemed to encourage others to try harder. They wanted to be like him.
He often came back to the martial arts program as an adult. He would serve as a sparring partner to help the kids learn karate, or on the panel of judges who decide whether an athlete has earned a black belt.
“I used to talk to him now and then,” Hall said. “He was a good person. Richie used his black belt his entire life. It helps you, the way you conduct yourself, gives you control over your emotions and you get a special awareness. Karate gives you street smarts.”
