Dennis J. Ready

"Mr. Chelmsford"

Dennis J. Ready, 75, a true townie, died Friday, March 16th, 2018 in Chelmsford. He was the beloved husband of Donna (Gile) Ready of over 45 years.

Dennis was born in Lowell on May 22nd, 1942, the son of the late Bernard and Mary (Higgins) Ready. He grew up on Turnpike Road, where he delivered papers to his neighbors on his bicycle. He would sell his papers on Sunday behind St. Mary Church, where he was an altar boy, becoming well known to local town officials as he gave them his own opinion along with their paper. He received his education in Chelmsford and graduated in Chelmsford High Schools Class of 1960, later being inducted in the Chelmsford High School Alumni Hall of Fame.

During the Vietnam war, Dennis served his country in the Army Reserve from 1966 to 1970, achieving the rank of First Sergeant.

Dennis was at the forefront of the computer revolution, working at the MITRE Corporation in the early 1960s on one of the first IBM mainframes, then later for Courier Citizen. He passed on his knowledge by teaching computer programming at Lowell Tech (now UMass Lowell). He had an entrepreneurial spirit and in the early 1970s, he founded Ready Associates, located on Wilson St, using his room-sized computer to manage mailing lists for local businesses. When in the late 1970s, technological advancement rendered that business no longer viable, Dennis began a 17 year career at Wang Computer, inspiring his daughter, Karen, to follow him into a career in Computer Science. His relentless striving to always better himself encouraged his son, Kevin, to get his MBA and pursue his passion for business and telecommunications. In his later career, he and his wife, Donna, worked as a team in real estate at Landmark Realty for over 25 years before joining their son, Joseph, in 2010, to found a family business, Ready Real Estate.

Known by many as Mr. Chelmsford or the Father of Chelmsford, Denniss hobby truly was the Town of Chelmsford. He poured his heart and soul into making the town into a wonderful place for his children and grandchildren to grow up. Local politics were his passion and his love of debating the issues of the day, and of playing devils advocate in any discussion, were legendary, but also always friendly and ended with a warm smile and a handshake. He and his brother, Bernard, The Ready Boys, were a fixture at Town Meeting from the time he could vote. When Town Meeting became an elected position, he served over 25 years as a representative, known for his witty comments, often made just slightly too loud, to many a moderators chagrin. When debate had gone on too long, Dennis could always be counted on to move the question.

As a Selectman for 12 years, serving 4 times as Chairman, residents knew he was someone who would do whatever it took to help them. His resume of public service to the Town of Chelmsford is too long to recount, it included serving on the Sewer Commission, Historic District Commission, and Conservation Commission. A dedicated lifelong Democrat, he sat on the Democratic Town Committee and often served as a delegate at state conventions. He championed many causes, notably on-air every year for the Salvation Army radiothon. In order to encourage the involvement of others, he created and ran a How To Run For Public Office seminar. He volunteered on the boards of many local organizations over the years, such as Chelmsford Telemedia, the Chelmsford Historic Society, and the Chelmsford High Alumni Association. A dedicated father, he served on the board of Boy Scout Troop 75 and 77, inspiring his sons Kevin and Joseph to attain the rank of Eagle Scout. He was a charter member of the Chelmsford Elks, and in his younger days his friends knew they could often find him there having a drink and a lively debate.

Dennis loved to help others. He created a local television show, Town Talk, where he could highlight and promote local groups, events and businesses; discuss and debate issues; and encourage civic engagement. When after over 15 years of hosting, his health prevented him from continuing, he passed the mantle to his son, Joseph, but continued to produce the show. His voice was a familiar one on local radio as well, as he co-hosted a Wednesday morning Town Talk radio show on WCAP and was regular contributor for the last decade to the Saturday Morning Live radio show, providing his voice to local politics.

Dennis was able to see the silver lining and humor in any situation, from political or real estate issues to his own disabilities. His refrain of this is a good thing was often uttered in the face of seemingly catastrophic events. Having just been told he would need his leg amputated, he was already cracking jokes about being a foot shorter.

Dennis is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Robert and Karen (Ready) Uttecht of Chelmsford; his two sons and daughters-in-law, Kevin and Holley (Cain) Ready of Chelmsford and Joseph and Amy (Martel) Ready of Chelmsford; Michele Martel, who he thought of as a daughter; his sister and brother-in-law Jeff and Rosemary (Ready) Moulton; his brother and sister-in-law Bernard and Carol Ready and his eight grandchildren: Drema, Jackson, Ashley, Connor, Ryan, Brent, Andrew and Mary. He was also the brother of the late Keith Ready and brother-in-law of the late Arthur and Drema (Gile) Main.

Visiting hours will be held on Monday March 19th from 3-7 pm at the BLAKE CHELMSFORD FUNERAL HOME, 24 Worthen St., CHELMSFORD. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday March 20th at 11 o'clock at St. Mary Parish, 25 North Road, CHELMSFORD. KINDLY MEET AT THE CHURCH. Interment in Pine Ridge Cemetery, CHELMSFORD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Chelmsford High School Alumni Association, 200 Richardson Rd, Chelmsford, MA, 01863, or to the Salvation Army 150 Appleton St., Lowell, MA 01852.

First Visitation
March 19, 2018 3:00pm - 7:00pm,
Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home
24 Worthen Street
Chelmsford, MA 01824

Service Information
March 20, 2018 11:00am,
St. Mary Parish
25 North Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
KINDLY MEET AT CHURCH

Interment Location
March 20, 2018,
Pine Ridge Cemetery
130 Billerica Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824