When it opened in 1967, Foulkeways was the first continuing-care retirement community in Pennsylvania and the first Quaker retirement community in the nation. Mr. Willis was a founding board member, treasurer for nine years, and president for 11 years.
He became an emeritus board member after he and his wife moved to Foulkeways in the mid-1980s. The couple had previously lived in Fort Washington and Ambler.
Mr. Willis grew up in North Wales. He graduated from George School, where he was a member of the track team and won a bronze medal at the Penn Relays.
Years later, a former track teammate told Mr. Willis' son, Richard Jr., "Your father is a great man." When the son asked why, the former teammate said Mr. Willis had slowed down and let him pull ahead in a race so he could win his varsity letter.
Mr. Willis earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Swarthmore College. He was a member of Swarthmore's board for 20 years - 10 as treasurer - and played a major role in increasing the school's endowment, his son said. He received an honorary degree from the school in 1985.
After graduating from Swarthmore, Mr. Willis joined Land Title & Trust Bank, which became Provident National Bank. He was the investment research chief before being named vice president and economist for Provident in 1965. He often spoke to business and community groups on financial matters, his son said, and was responsible for the promotion of Provident's first female vice president.
Mr. Willis was a member of the Financial Analysts Society and the National Association for Business Economics. After retiring in 1976, he kept up an interest in economics and predicted the housing and stock market crises more than two years ago, his son said.
An enthusiastic gardener and a golfer, Mr. Willis was a member of the Philadelphia Cricket Club and the Ozone Club, a golf association for Quaker men in Philadelphia.
He and Elizabeth Passmore Willis were married for 70 years before her death in 2004. The couple had been classmates at the George School and Swarthmore.
Besides his son, Mr. Willis is survived by daughters Emily Ackerman and Martha Wilcockson, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held Sunday at Gwynedd Friends Meeting, where Mr. Willis was a lifelong member.
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