The Vero Beach community is reflecting on the life and legacy of part-time resident Richard Leon Solar, who passed away on March 8, 2026, at the age of 86. Splitting his time between Vero Beach, Florida, New York City, and the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Solar was recognized locally as a passionate champion of the arts and a generous philanthropic figure.
During his time in Indian River County, Solar was a familiar face in the local cultural scene. He served with distinction on the board of directors for the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach. His tenure on the board allowed him to leverage his extensive corporate experience to support and elevate the region’s premier professional performing arts organization.
Before dedicating his later years to civic and community service across his various home bases, Solar built a formidable career in the corporate and financial sectors. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1939, he pursued his undergraduate studies at Harvard College before earning an MBA from Columbia Business School.
His professional milestones include:
He was a man of high integrity who was uniquely purposeful yet persistently unserious, finding great pride in mentoring others and helping them achieve professional success.
Beyond his impressive boardroom accomplishments, friends and family remember Solar for his vibrant personality and generous spirit. He was deeply charitable, always eager to support the causes championed by his friends. A man who appreciated life’s simple pleasures, he collected antiques and notoriously non-functional vintage cars, possessed an eclectic taste in music that ranged from Motown to Shaggy, and firmly believed that a hot dog qualified as a snack.
Solar leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Stephanie Bennett Solar, whose famed chance encounter on a New York City bus sparked their decades-long marriage. He is also survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and George Rand; his grandson, Jack Rand; and his son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Eleanor Solar.
In keeping with his lifelong commitment to community support, memorial donations are being directed to the People’s Pantry of Great Barrington, honoring his deep affection for his northern home in the Berkshires.
