Jul 22
Obituaries: Richard Walton “Dick” Hewetson
BAR Staff READ TIME: 2 MIN.
March 31, 1930 – July 19, 2025
On July 19, 2025, at the age of 95, Richard Walton “Dick” Hewetson died by doctor-assisted suicide at Brookdale Senior Living in San Jose, California. Born near Chicago on March 31, 1930, he grew up in a world where homosexuality was considered illegal, immoral, and an illness. For the first 42 years of his life, he did everything to fit in. From ages 16 to 20, he had a girlfriend, even though he was never in love with her. He chose the Episcopal priesthood as his career, where he thought he would be accepted as an unmarried man.
At the age of 42, he became involved in the budding gay rights movement. He emerged from the closet (“ripping the door off its hinges,” according to a friend). He championed a gay rights ordinance that passed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1977. As an active union member, he helped ensure Minnesota state employees had the first union contract protection for LGBTQ+ employees in the nation.
He helped his then-partner David Irwin establish Quatrefoil Library. Opening in February 1986, it became one of the largest LGBTQ+ libraries in the country, and the de facto LGBTQ+ center for the Twin Cities. Concluding that the greatest enemy of LGBTQ+ people was religion, in 1978, he joined the Freedom From Religion Foundation and continued a life of activism including mental health issues, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the separation of state and church. He was a lifelong avid bridge player.
At the age of 80, he met the love of his life, John Vu, a Vietnamese refugee.
In addition to Vu, Dick is also survived by his beloved niece and nephew, Kim and Ron Spawn, and countless cherished friends.
Much more about Dick is available at dickhewetson.net.
Donations can be made to Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org and Quatrefoil Library, the Facebook page for which is at www.facebook.com/QuatrefoilLibrary/ .
