Robert Lincoln Rumsey

Robert Lincoln Rumsey

LITCHFIELD — Robert (Bob) Lincoln Rumsey, born Feb. 4, 1938, passed away on Feb. 10, 2024, surrounded by loved ones at the hospital where he was born 86 years prior in New York City.

Born in New York City and raised for much of his childhood in Scarsdale, New York, Bob spent most of his life raising a family and living happily thereafter through his remaining years in Connecticut.

He was passionate about art, history, writing/reading, constantly learning, and connecting with others until his last days. He founded Norfolk Construction Company and took pride in his work designing and building homes for people throughout the Connecticut area. He constantly sought education and the perspective of others whether loved ones or strangers, obtaining his master’s in history later in life and teaching at the Taconic Learning Center until the end of his life.

Bob loved nothing more than a good intellectual conversation or debate and was always willing to be challenged and open to changing his mind. He’d often sit quietly and ponder, then share his findings and thoughts with us. He enjoyed spending time at Mt. Tom State Park in Litchfield, where he’d take his chair and sit by the pond, drinking his coffee and people (or duck) watching.

He was an active member at St. Michael’s Church. He found joy and community in being part of the vestry board, leading morning prayer services (including over Zoom in recent years), participating in bible study, and being a regular Sunday service speaker.

His gentle ways, compassion, curiosity, and interest in others made a lasting impression on many, from family and loved ones, to friends, his church community, and his peers and students.

All those who knew him will miss him dearly. He had a rare ability to connect with those in his circles and strangers in passing, something that he did, not to be self-serving, but to improve their existence, if only for a passing moment.

He is survived by his children, Alissa, (Peter Knocke) and Benjamin (Amy) Rumsey; Benjamin and Amy’s children; Isla Rae and Riley Lincoln; his brother David (Abby); the mother of his children and wife for much of his life, Beth (and David) Ciarcia, as well as countless nieces and nephews that loved him dearly.

There will be a memorial service at his beloved St. Michael’s Church in Litchfield, Connecticut on April 6, 2024, at 2 p.m.

His children wish that any memorial contributions made by those who knew him be made to the Taconic Learning Center (www.taconiclearningcenter.org/donatenew.php) and/or St. Michael’s Church (www.stmichaels-litchfield.org/product/memory-gift/).

To share memories or condolences, please visit www.bit.ly/BobRumsey.

Latest News

Join us for


 

  

Keep ReadingShow less
Summer Nights of Canaan

Wednesday, July 16

Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.

Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park

Keep ReadingShow less
When the guide gets it wrong

Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.

Dee Salomon

After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.

At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A few highlights from Upstate Art Weekend 2025

Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”

Brian Gersten

Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.

Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:

Keep ReadingShow less