Richard A. "Dick" Thayer Sr., who turned a small Norwich welding shop into a enduring, family-owned marine sales and supply business, died Sunday.

Thayer was the owner of Thayer's Marine on Falls Avenue and started his career in 1966 as owner of a welding shop on Central Avenue. In a 2003 interview with The Day, Thayer said so many people brought in boat propellers and marine parts for welding that he decided to learn more about the business. He built his first marine supply and repair building on American Wharf and later expanded to Falls Avenue, where the business stands today. His son, Richard "Rich" Thayer Jr., is the general manager.

A father of six, Thayer served in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked as both a Norwich police officer and a welding instructor at Electric Boat in Groton, according to his obituary. He was 75 and living in Preston at the time of his death.