RICHARD M. NEMROW

1929 - 2019

NEMROW, Richard M. Topsham, ME, passed away peacefully on the morning of Saturday, February 2nd, at Mid-Coast Hospital in Brunswick, ME surrounded by loving family members. He was 89 years of age. He leaves behind his wife of 41 years, Ann Dins Nemrow; six children, three of whom are stepchildren; three granddaughters; and five step-grandchildren. Son of the late Barnet and Ethel Nemrow, he was born in Boston on August 27, 1929, and raised in Brookline, MA. He attended Belmont Hill School, Belmont, MA, where he lettered in basketball and baseball, and matriculated at Colby College, Waterville, ME. He went on to serve in the Korean Conflict in the U.S. Army. Upon his return he worked in his family's wholesale merchandise business, Nemrow Brothers, Inc., and later became an independent real estate restorer, specializing in older, historic buildings around the Boston and Mid-Coast Maine areas. He was also a former member of the University Club of Boston and the Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead.

He became active in civic and neighborhood affairs in Boston during the 1970s and served as President of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and Citizens For a Better New England Life, a group which successfully scaled down an office project planned for Boston's Back Bay area. He was active in local politics, most notably assisting former Congressman Barney Frank during his first political campaign for the the Massachusetts Legislature. He became a summer resident of Harpswell, ME in 1978 and later relocated permanently there. He was most recently a resident of Topsham, ME.

He was an enthusiastic athlete, who threw the first no-hit baseball game for Belmont Hill, and enjoyed skiing, boating and squash. He was a devoted fan of the Boston Celtics and New England Patriots. He was a long-standing advocate of responsibly-scaled urban planning and he also took a later interest in helping children with learning disadvantages. He served on the Board of Boston's Learning Project for many years as its treasurer. Richard and his wife Ann contributed generously to the school's endowment fund, and he was awarded an honorary diploma from the school in 2001. He took great pleasure in following and assisting the lives of his six children, Spence, Christopher, Anthony, Kimberly, Clayton, and Gregory, and his grandchildren. He is predeceased by his sister, Lora Esty Nemrow, and was previously married to Carolyn Placak Nemrow.

A Celebration of the Life of Richard Nemrow is planned in Maine for early summer. In lieu of flowers or cards, donations may be made to the Learning Project of Boston, c/o The Richard and Ann Dins Nemrow Fund, 107 Marlborough Street, Boston, MA 02116. Arrangements by Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal Street, BRUNSWICK, ME. Condolences can be expressed at brackettfuneralhome.com