John G. Rohrbach

1923 - 2015

John Grandin Rohrbach, born August 15, 1923, died peacefully at the age of 92 on August 24 at Duncaster, in Bloomfield, Ct. John was a journalist and publisher, a lifelong advocate for public causes, a steward in envisioning the Duncaster retirement community in Connecticut, as well as a man of faith, a devoted husband of 66 years, and a loving friend, father and grandparent. He was always engaged with the world's concerns, and had a profound sensitivity for others, touching innumerable people with thoughtful gestures, attentiveness, and concern for their well-being. Born in Orange, New Jersey, John's early years were spent in Glen Ridge, N.J., with his sister, Jean Stryker (Olsen), and his parents, John F.D. Rohrbach and Elsie A. Rohrbach. He attended the Hotchkiss School (Class of 1942), and Yale University, (Class of 1945W, B.S.), graduating from Yale in 1948 after serving as a training officer in the Army, and reaching the rank of 1st Lieutenant. John chaired The Yale Daily News in 1947. He met Caroline Hanson from Wayzata, Minnesota while in college. They married in 1949. Finishing Yale, John considered the ministry, encouraged by his friend, Yale's then-chaplain Sidney Lovett. Instead, in 1948 John joined Time Inc. in New York, where he was a management trainee at Fortune, Life, and Time magazines. In 1955, he joined a small community publisher in Connecticut, The West Hartford Publishing Company, as business manager. It issued The East Hartford Gazette, The West Hartford News and, later, the award-winning Connecticut Life Magazine. In 1963, John joined the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, as assistant to then-president Dr. Homer Babbidge. John established the University of Connecticut Foundation, taught journalism, and was assistant vice president of finance. By 1978, increasingly interested in the emerging need for improved geriatric care, John became the operating officer of Church Homes in Hartford. Two years later, he united what he called "a small band of extraordinary people" -- Hartford area longtime friends and acquaintances -- to build the "Hartford Retirement Community", or HartCare. This became Duncaster, now a 31-year-old thriving residential senior living facility in Bloomfield. Duncaster was financed through an unprecedented $65 million bond issue from the Connecticut Development Authority, approved by the State Legislature in 1980. John always planned to live at Duncaster; in 2003 he moved in with his wife Caroline. John's keen belief in service included roles at Yale-China (trustee, 30 years), the United Board for Christian Higher Education in China (trustee, 15 years), and Raymark Corporation (board). He served as chairman of the board of the Hartford Rehabilitation Center, and on the boards of Protestant Campus Ministry, Alzheimer's Association/ Connecticut, and Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford. His volunteer service included The Concord Coalition, and All Aboard!! Family, friendships, service, and spiritual connection formed the pattern of John's life, shaping what he called "the fullness of life experience." John is predeceased by his son Peter. He is survived by his loving wife, Caroline, his children John, David, and Kate; and his six grandchildren, James, Andrew, Carlos, Monica, Hope and Ethan. Donations may be made to the Duncaster Foundation. The family will always be grateful for the help and love he received from the staff of Duncaster and Caleb Hitchcock Health Center. The service for his exceptional life will be held in the Meeting Room at Duncaster on Saturday, August 29 at 11:00 am.