Trooper Richard F. Champy - 1946-1978
Heart attack while effecting arrest - 2/3/78
Trooper Richard Champy was born in 1946 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was a graduate of Woodbury High School in Salem and served his country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War before settling in Newbury, NH. Trooper Champy lived in Newbury with his wife and two daughters.
As an eight-year veteran of the New Hampshire State Police, he was stationed to Troop D in Bow where he was assigned as a K-9 officer and usually traveled with his bloodhound, "Smokey."
On February 3, 1978 Trooper Champy heard a call on his citizen band radio for assistance of a motorist whose car had been struck by another motorist. Eventually Trooper Champy and Trooper Korbett were in pursuit of the fleeing vehicle. In a struggle to arrest the passenger of the vehicle, Trooper Champy fell to the ground apparently of a heart attack. The sudden death of this Trooper was a shock to everyone and his is missed by his family and fellow Troopers.