Fire Chief Borden Funeral to Take Place Friday

Fire Chief Richard B. Borden died in May, 2015, at age 56.

Calling Hours Thursday

Funeral arrangements have been announced for Haverhill Fire Chief Richard B. Borden, 56, who passed away suddenly Sunday at his Rosemary Avenue home.

He was born on July 12, 1958 in Bath, Maine, son of retired Haverhill Fire Chief Richard H. Borden and the late Virginia (Klimavich) Borden. He was educated in the Haverhill school system and was employed at Honeywell until he joined the Haverhill Fire Department in 1983.

He rose through the ranks and was named fire chief in April, 2008. Borden was a member of the Essex County Fire Chief’s Association, the Massachusetts Fire Chief’s Association and the International Fire Chief’s Association. He attended the Massachusetts Fire Academy and the National Fire Academy, Emmetsburg, Maryland.

Borden was an accomplished swimmer and swam for the first Haverhill High School Swim team, Haverhill Country Club and was also a lifeguard and instructor for the Haverhill YMCA.

He leaves behind his wife, Deborah (Griffin) Borden; his father, retired Haverhill Fire Chief Richard H. Borden and his wife Pamela; a son, Haverhill Firefighter Justin K. Borden and his wife Jessica; two daughters, Michelle Borden and Angela Borden; a stepson Sam Griffin; three grandchildren, Elizabeth P. Borden, James K. Borden and Evie M. Estabrook; a brother, James M. Borden; and friends Brian Simpson and Betsy Gertz.

He was predeceased by his mother Virginia (Klimavich) Borden and his brother Steven Borden.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend his calling hours Thursday, May 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the H.L. Farmer & Sons Funeral Home, 106 Summer St., Haverhill. A firefighter walk through will be at 3:15. His funeral will be Friday, May 22, at 11 a.m. in the Technology Building at Northern Essex Community College. Burial will be in the Lithuanian Cemetery, Bradford. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to NEHSA, Team River Runner, PO Box 2135, Newbury, NH, 03225.

One thought on “Fire Chief Borden Funeral to Take Place Friday

  1. I was terribly saddened to hear of Rich Borden’s passing. We swam together for many years, both at the the then, new HHS pool, and at the Haverhill Country Club. He had either a kind word or a joke for all our team mates. I was not aware of his position as Fir Chief (I have lived out of Haverhill since 1978, but have strong ties to the city) but I hope his memorial service is filled with all the pom deserving a great all-around guy, as well as a local leader of great bravery.

    Laurie Miller Inglese