Richard Sheffey Derby, a retired advertising executive who became a harbor water taxi captain, died of complications related to an infection May 25 at the Gainesville Health and Rehabilitation Center in Virginia. He was 78 and had lived in Monkton.
Born in Jacksonville, Fla., he earned a degree in botany from Florida State University. He had been a Florida lifeguard and a firefighter. He was also a recreational scuba diver. Mr. Derby was something of a prankster in his younger years. With friends, he once floated on a bed on the Mississippi River.
He moved to Maryland to become a Becton Dickinson salesman. In the early 1970s, he founded an advertising agency, the Derby Group, in the 2500 block of Maryland Ave. His firm focused on small banks and medical companies. The agency created print and radio advertisements that were often humorous, his son said.
Mr. Derby enjoyed sailing and owned a 16-foot Hobie catamaran and a sailboat, Bligh's Spirit.
He had a commercial captain's license and became a water taxi pilot, his son said. He worked on the Baltimore harbor from the late 1990s until about 2005.
"My father was a big, imposing man with a sharp temper and a tongue that would make a sailor blush. New crew did everything they could to avoid sailing on one of his boats," said his son, Michael S. Derby of Brooklyn, N.Y. "But once they served with him, and once my father got to know them, they found no greater friend or supporter."
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. June 14 at the Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St.
In addition to his son, survivors include two daughters, Christen Derby of Bethesda and Lara Hopewell of Ashburn, Va.; and six grandchildren. His marriage to Jean Johnson Derby ended in divorce.