Keith Stanton Richey, 71

Keith Stanton Richey of New Canaan, community leader and beloved husband, father, and friend, died suddenly on May 20th, 2025. He was seventy-one years old. Born on February 10, 1954, in Los Angeles, California, Keith was the son of Jack Claude Richey and Merle Harriet Falkin. He attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and University of Southern California, graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1976. Following his graduation, Keith, always allured by Europe, went on a tour through the continent and received news while abroad that he had been admitted to the University of Texas Law School at Austin with a full scholarship.

Commercial Building Owners Propose Hotel on Locust Avenue

The owners of adjacent commercial buildings in downtown New Canaan have submitted a proposal to the town that would allow for a new hotel on Locust Avenue. The vision is for a 40-key hotel connecting to an outdoor landscaped patio at 49-51 Locust Ave., according to a pre-application presentation filed with the Planning & Zoning Commission. The proposal for 39 Locust is a mixed-use office or retail space with eight extended-stay hotel keys, the pre-application said. Both buildings are currently three-story brick office buildings with above and below-grade parking, and the plan is for an “adaptive reuse of existing buildings,” according to the pre-application. The hope is to “preserve significant existing setbacks, light, air, and onsite parking,” it said.

Richard Anthony Franco, Jr., 74 

Richard Anthony Franco, Jr. passed away May 22, 2025 at his home on Summer Street in New Canaan. Rick was born August 3, 1950, to Gloria and Dick Franco. Unbeknownst to the young couple, Rick would be the first of their eleven children. 

Rick attended St. Aloysius School and was in the first graduating class to complete all eight years in the new school. At an early point in Rick’s academic career he unwisely chose to launch a paper clip off the end of a rubber band, narrowly missing a nun but striking the Monsignor in the head.