Richard Kraus, a retired banker who pursued a lifelong vocation as a singer under the stage name Dick Allyn, died at Cabrini Hospice on Oct. 1 at the age of 77.
A resident of Eighth Ave. at W. 14th St. for 30 years, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and entered the hospice on E. 19th St. about two weeks ago, according to his godson, Harry DiSimone.
Richard Kraus retired in 1984 from the stock custody division of Manufacturers Hanover Trust on Wall St. after 30 years as a banker, but as Dick Allyn sang at clubs and other venues until a few years ago.
Born in Roosevelt, L.I., the son of John and Elizabeth Tossotti Kraus, he began his singing career in 1950 when he won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout contest on national television. As a result of the contest, he recorded a song, “I’m Just a Nobody,” issued by Smart Records in 1951 shortly before he was drafted into the Army.
“He toured as lead singer with the U.S. Army Band from Alaska to the Azores and points in between,” said DiSimone. After his discharge in 1953, he tried to revive his career but the momentum had stalled and he began working for Manufacturers Hanover Trust, which merged with Chemical Bank in the 1980s.
“He leaves a host of friends in the banking and music world,” DiSimone said. Greenwich Village Funeral Home, 199 Bleecker St., is in charge of arrangements. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wed. Oct. 4 at Our Lady of Pompei Church on Carmine St. Burial will be in Holy Rood Cemetery in Woodbury, L.I.
