Portland Press Herald
Richard Earl Dyke
March 16, 2023
Richard Dyke, 89, leaves behind a legacy of small businesses
Richard Earl “Dick” Dyke, 89, who owned nearly 70 small businesses, mostly in Maine, died on March 1.
The Wilton native had his first job in a shoe factory. "He worked hard and took advantage of every opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur," according to his obituary.
He is the namesake for the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business at Husson University.
Over the years, he bought a series of distressed companies and worked to make them profitable again.
Some of the most notable companies were Bushmaster Firearms, Martin Office Products, Leavitt & Parris, Admiral’s Inn and Falmouth Beach Apartments in Antigua, Chipco International, Candles International, Naples Golf and Country Club, Maine Poly, White Pines Inn, J.R. Mains Co., New England Marble and Granite, Port of Maine Airport, Mr. D’s restaurant in Raymond, and Charlie’s on the Causeway restaurant in Naples. He also founded the Windham Indoor Shooting Range and Retail Store.
In 2006, he sold Bushmaster Firearms. After the new owner closed the facility in 2011 and laid off everyone, he started a new company called Windham Weaponry, which allowed him to return his longtime employees to work.
Dyke was a real estate developer with projects that included the Windham Business Park, Sebago Lake Condos in Windham, Madison Condos in Rumford, East Shore Cottage Condos in Rome, and several apartment buildings and nursing homes.
He split his time between Naples and Henderson, Nev.
Early on, he took time off from his education at Husson College to serve in the 108th Counter Intelligence Corps in South Korea. He later returned to college and received a degree in finance and taxes.
He served on the boards of Maine Medical Center, Goodwill, Opportunity Farm, Husson College, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Small Business Administration. He was a significant supporter of the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland and a longtime Wilton Lion’s Club member and the Wilton Masonic Lodge.
His complete obituary can be found here.
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