BENJAMIN H. LACY

LACY, Benjamin H. Of Cohasset, MA , died May 18, in Cambridge, MA, at age 98. Benjamin Hammett Lacy was born on October 31, 1925, in Dubuque, Iowa, the youngest of five children of Jessie Hammett and Frank Robinson Lacy. In 1943, after completing his studies at the Phillips Exeter Academy, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marine and served as a midshipman on convoys crossing the Atlantic to the Middle East and to India during World War II. After the war, he attended Harvard College (class of '49), majoring in English History and Literature, and Harvard Law School (class of '51). In 1949 he married Jane Burrell, also of Dubuque. Ben and Jane raised four children in South Natick and Brookline, and moved to Cohasset in 1988. They were married for 62 years, until Jane's death in 2011. Ben practiced corporate law with the Boston firms of Nutter, McLennan & Fish (1951-1973) and Hill & Barlow (1973-1990). He led the bankruptcy reorganization of the Boston & Maine Railroad from 1970 to 1983. As a firm believer in the importance of railroads and public transit, Ben was especially proud of this work. Ben was deeply involved in community, civic, and cultural organizations throughout his life. He was a member of the vestry of All Saints Church in Brookline and St. Stephen's Church in Cohasset, and served as the Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. After retiring from legal practice, Ben became the president of the board of directors of the Clipper Ship Foundation, which is devoted to supporting basic charities in the Boston area and Lawrence, MA. In this role, he gained an encyclopedic knowledge of the network of nonprofit and faith-based organizations serving marginalized communities in Boston, visiting many of them annually as part of the grant-making process. Ben served as a director of the American Bar Retirement Association, Tufts New England Medical Center, and NEBS. He served for many years on the Cohasset Zoning Board of Appeals. Starting in 1963, Ben and his family spent summers at the Glades in Scituate, MA, where Ben swam, sailed, played tennis, and thoroughly enjoyed the Glades community. In the 1990s, Ben and Jane built a cabin in the Adirondacks, and enjoyed the scenery, hiking, and the company of Ben's cousins there. Ben and Jane were avid travelers, visiting destinations around the world, most frequently in western Europe and Mexico. Ben loved music, and sang in church choirs in Cambridge, Brookline, and Cohasset. Ben and Jane deeply appreciated the rich musical culture of Boston, attending performances of symphonies, chamber music, opera, and choral music at every opportunity. Ben served as a member of the board of directors and as an Overseer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, helped establish BSO Youth Concerts, and was a founding member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra Foundation. A devoted gardener, Ben grew vegetables each summer in his garden at the Glades and passed on a love of gardening to his children. Upon moving to Cohasset, his interest in farms and gardening and his philanthropic and community spirit converged in his involvement in Holly Hill Farm. He was the chairman of the board of directors of Friends of Holly Hill Farm for many years. He loved walking through the woods from his home to the farm to survey the fields, visit the farmers, and see the farm animals. Ben had a wide social network and a large extended family and continued to make new friends into his nineties. He was a member of the Brookline Club and the Old Goats of Cohasset. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend to all who knew him. Ben is survived by his four children, Rob Lacy (Cornwall, CT), Sara Lacy (Lexington, MA), Jessie Lacy (Santa Cruz, CA), Katy Lacy (Hull, MA); their spouses, twelve grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and Jane Williams (Cambridge, MA), his partner of the last ten years.

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