IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Robert R.
Detwiler
April 25, 2015
Obituary
Robert Roy Detwiler, age 85, died on Saturday, April 25, in the company of the family he so loved. He was predeceased by his son Christopher. He is survived by his wife Betsey and his four sons and their wives: Andrew and Kathy, Peter and Julie, Jonathan and Laurie and Jefferson and Ryan (Meredith). He also leaves his beloved grandchildren, Chad, Kelsey, Conor, Liam, Forrest, Harrison, Alander, Isabelle, William and Soren. It was his greatest blessing that all his family lived close by and were a constant presence in his life. Bob is also survived by his sister-in-law, Sylvia Loud Slakey and her husband Stephen of Glendora, CA, a number of nieces and nephews and the four American Field Service exchange students who called him "Dad."
Bob was born in Hudson, New York, where his parents owned a confectionery store, but he grew up in Brooklyn and loved to tell of his days and friends at PS 139 and Brooklyn Technical High School and of riding the subway with his father to fish at Far Rockaway. He graduated from City College of New York and did graduate work at John Hopkins University.
During the Korean War, Bob served in the United States Navy and was stationed in Boston. He came to love the city and its proximity to the ski slopes of the north, and when he finished his military service, he began his career as a stockbroker in a position with Smith, Barney & Co. He subsequently opened a Boston office for Laird &Co. and later joined forces to form the partnership of Fechtor Detwiler & Co. Inc., which later became Detwiler Fenton Group.
Bob's generosity was legendary. He had the vision, passion, unfettered optimism and ability to make good things happen. His devotion to his developmentally disabled son, Chris, led him to become involved in the creation and funding of a clinical nursery school on the South Shore. He was instrumental in the founding of Road to Responsibility, an organization serving disabled adults. He was a valued member of the Board of RTR and also of Friendship Home, which was also a great source of pleasure for Chris.
He and Betsey spent many hours together with their children, fishing on the North River and beaching at its mouth. Bob and two fishing friends formed a chapter of the Isaak Walton League to stop a proposed sewage outfall pipe threatening the river. This became the initial impetus for the North & South Rivers Watershed Association. And though he never set foot in a sailboat, his children did, eventually leading him to become Commodore of the Stage Harbor Yacht Club in Chatham.
A consummate storyteller and community member, Bob read for the Talking Information Center as the "Yankee Clipper" for 25 years, clipping and reading articles that he felt would be of interest to the sight impaired. For decades he also hosted Detwiler's Journal on public access television, interviewing and showcasing the stories of hundreds of local individuals.
A strong proponent of public education, Bob served for twelve years on the Norwell School Committee. With a dedicated group of colleagues, he enjoyed the challenge of building a strong school system. During that period, he also helped the Committee oversee the construction of the current high school.
Bob was a member of First Parish Unitarian Church in Norwell for fifty-five years, serving on many boards, spearheading and fundraising for many initiatives and singing in the church choir, his second family. Bob's warm baritone voice, which graced many church services (and restaurants, hardware stores, and anywhere else there might be an audience), was an asset in other choral groups. Bob sang with The Boston Cecilia, The Chorus Pro Musica, The Unicorn Singers and for many years with The Fine Arts Chorale of Weymouth, where he also served on the board. With the Chorale, Bob and Betsey enjoyed learning the world's great sacred choral music and touring Europe on a number of occasions. Opera was also a passion, and he served for a time on the board of the Boston Lyric Opera.
Bob's true bliss was sitting at the head of the table in his Chatham summer home, surrounded by family and friends old and new, sharing the clams he had dug, feasting on fish he had caught, passing the salad harvested from his large vegetable garden, laughing uproariously at the lame puns and corny jokes, (most of them his), with the wine and conversation flowing. The dinners will continue to go on, the laughs will be earnest, the love will be there, and Bob will always be there too in our hearts.
A celebration of Bob's life will be held on Saturday, May 23 at 11:00 am at the First Parish of Norwell, Unitarian Universalist, 24 River Street, Norwell. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Bob's memory may make a donation to The First Parish of Norwell, PO Box 152, Norwell, MA 02061 or The Fine Arts Chorale, PO Box 164, South Weymouth, MA 02190
Bob was born in Hudson, New York, where his parents owned a confectionery store, but he grew up in Brooklyn and loved to tell of his days and friends at PS 139 and Brooklyn Technical High School and of riding the subway with his father to fish at Far Rockaway. He graduated from City College of New York and did graduate work at John Hopkins University.
During the Korean War, Bob served in the United States Navy and was stationed in Boston. He came to love the city and its proximity to the ski slopes of the north, and when he finished his military service, he began his career as a stockbroker in a position with Smith, Barney & Co. He subsequently opened a Boston office for Laird &Co. and later joined forces to form the partnership of Fechtor Detwiler & Co. Inc., which later became Detwiler Fenton Group.
Bob's generosity was legendary. He had the vision, passion, unfettered optimism and ability to make good things happen. His devotion to his developmentally disabled son, Chris, led him to become involved in the creation and funding of a clinical nursery school on the South Shore. He was instrumental in the founding of Road to Responsibility, an organization serving disabled adults. He was a valued member of the Board of RTR and also of Friendship Home, which was also a great source of pleasure for Chris.
He and Betsey spent many hours together with their children, fishing on the North River and beaching at its mouth. Bob and two fishing friends formed a chapter of the Isaak Walton League to stop a proposed sewage outfall pipe threatening the river. This became the initial impetus for the North & South Rivers Watershed Association. And though he never set foot in a sailboat, his children did, eventually leading him to become Commodore of the Stage Harbor Yacht Club in Chatham.
A consummate storyteller and community member, Bob read for the Talking Information Center as the "Yankee Clipper" for 25 years, clipping and reading articles that he felt would be of interest to the sight impaired. For decades he also hosted Detwiler's Journal on public access television, interviewing and showcasing the stories of hundreds of local individuals.
A strong proponent of public education, Bob served for twelve years on the Norwell School Committee. With a dedicated group of colleagues, he enjoyed the challenge of building a strong school system. During that period, he also helped the Committee oversee the construction of the current high school.
Bob was a member of First Parish Unitarian Church in Norwell for fifty-five years, serving on many boards, spearheading and fundraising for many initiatives and singing in the church choir, his second family. Bob's warm baritone voice, which graced many church services (and restaurants, hardware stores, and anywhere else there might be an audience), was an asset in other choral groups. Bob sang with The Boston Cecilia, The Chorus Pro Musica, The Unicorn Singers and for many years with The Fine Arts Chorale of Weymouth, where he also served on the board. With the Chorale, Bob and Betsey enjoyed learning the world's great sacred choral music and touring Europe on a number of occasions. Opera was also a passion, and he served for a time on the board of the Boston Lyric Opera.
Bob's true bliss was sitting at the head of the table in his Chatham summer home, surrounded by family and friends old and new, sharing the clams he had dug, feasting on fish he had caught, passing the salad harvested from his large vegetable garden, laughing uproariously at the lame puns and corny jokes, (most of them his), with the wine and conversation flowing. The dinners will continue to go on, the laughs will be earnest, the love will be there, and Bob will always be there too in our hearts.
A celebration of Bob's life will be held on Saturday, May 23 at 11:00 am at the First Parish of Norwell, Unitarian Universalist, 24 River Street, Norwell. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Bob's memory may make a donation to The First Parish of Norwell, PO Box 152, Norwell, MA 02061 or The Fine Arts Chorale, PO Box 164, South Weymouth, MA 02190
