Rollin D. Crittendon

Rollin D. Crittendon

Brighton, MA - Rollin D. Crittendon, 51, died of cancer on Dec. 1, 2024, in Brighton, MA, after demonstrating for two years his amazing ability to live with a positive outlook and engagement in life despite a devastating diagnosis.

Rollin was the son of Mary W. Crittendon and the late William D. Crittendon. Born in Columbia, SC, he spent his early years in suburban New York, were he developed a lifelong love of art museums and where he also spent many enjoyable hours by Long Island Sound, including in the dead of winter. His love of art and museums deepened when he next lived in suburban Boston, during which time he began to draw and teach himself advanced mathematics while still in grade school, and where he also delighted in frequent expeditions to nearby Cape Ann. Rollin spent his middle- and high-school years in Hanover, NH, where his part-time job at the Hanover Co-op taught him valuable life skills and resulted in his lasting fondness for several of his adult co-workers.

Rollin received a BS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a MS in Computer Science from Columbia University, both with honors. After working as a programmer for Sony Electronics in Manhattan, Rollin spent 26 years in programming and senior software engineering positions in Boston and Cambridge, MA. For the past nearly 8 years he enjoyed his work and co-workers at Harvard Business Publishing--and also appreciated his unlimited access to Harvard's museums and swimming pool.

Rollin had a gift for maintaining friendships formed in a variety of work and community settings. He also belonged to a group that successfully fought the Boston Redevelopment Authority about a project that group members believed was not in the best interest of their community.

According to his wishes, there will be no services. Paying close attention to how your community functions and trying to better it in some way would be a wonderful gesture in his memory.