Rick Epstein, 75, of Frenchtown died at home on July 20.

Born in Syracuse, NY, Rick was raised in Lawrence Township and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1969 and from Syracuse University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

He held his dream job as editor of the Delaware Valley News in Frenchtown from 1977-1984. After becoming a parent, he worked as a managing editor at the Somerset Messenger-Gazette in Somerville, the Green Brook-North Plainfield Journal and the Highland Park Herald. He spent six years as a copy editor at the Central New Jersey Home News before coming to the Hunterdon County Democrat in 1995 where he was managing editor for many years. Rick contributed reporting and photography through 2015. Instead of entering retirement, Rick worked as a full-time library aide at Delaware Valley Regional High School from 2016-2025, where he also gave presentations to the journalism and history students, and photographed school activities for his write-ups on the school’s social media channels.

He was the author of two books on local history: Frenchtown: Fires, Floods, Fads & Felonies! A Newspaperman Tells the Story of a River Town (Palmetto 2023) and More Frenchtown: When You’ve Read Frenchtown and Want More! (Palmetto 2025) published with funding from the Fargo Family Foundation. He enjoyed sharing stories of local history on his Frenchtown walking tours. Rick was also the author of Rookie Dad; Adventures in Fatherhood (Hyperion 1992) and The Right Number of Kids (McKenna Publishing Group 2003). His funny-dad column appeared in more than 150 parenting publications in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

A memorial service will be held in Frenchtown later this autumn. To make a memorial donation in Rick’s honor, consider mailing a check to the “Delaware Valley Historical Society and Museum Inc.” at P.O. Box 173 Frenchtown, NJ 08825 (or, donating to Delaware Valley Historical Society via PayPal) or dropping off a check or donation of food to Frenchtown’s Open Door United Methodist Church Food Pantry at 16 3rd St., Frenchtown, NJ 08825.