ROBERT TYTUS COOLIDGE

1933 - 2021

COOLIDGE, Robert Tytus Passed peacefully at his home in downtown Montreal on May 26, 2021 at the age of 88. His son, Miles, was with him. Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1933; he is survived by his ex-wife Ellen Coolidge; his brothers Lawrence and Nathaniel Coolidge; and his sons Christopher, Matthew and Miles Coolidge, and four grandchildren. Robert battled debilitating seizures in his final months with remarkable fortitude. As a permanent resident of Quebec since accepting a position at Montreal's Loyola University as Professor of Medieval History in 1962, Robert nevertheless embraced his identity as a U.S. citizen with pride. He maintained a childhood fascination with genealogy throughout his adult life, tracing his ancestry to forebears such as Thomas Jefferson, Pocahontus and James Rolfe, as well as, appropriately for a medievalist, Charlemagne. His enthusiasm for genealogy served him well for his 27-year tenure as Historian for the Monticello Association in Charlottesville, Virginia. Robert's professional life was propelled by his education at the Massachusetts institutions Fay School, Groton School and Harvard University, where he received his Bachelor's degree in 1955. He met his wife-to-be Ellen Leonard Osborne at UC Berkeley while pursuing a Master's degree there in History. After their marriage they relocated to Oxford, UK while he completed his studies at Oxford University's Oriel College, receiving a BLitt and welcoming his first son, Christopher, into the world in 1962. Robert and his family spent many summers at their camp on New Hampshire's Squam Lake, surrounded by his brothers, uncles and aunts, and many cousins. Here he nurtured longstanding interests in the natural environment, advocating forcefully for wise watershed management, with special attention to the lake's Common Loon and Bald Eagle populations. His love of nature blended with his deeply felt Christian faith at Squam Lake's outdoor Chocorua Island Chapel, which he described as his favorite place on Earth. Robert's Christian faith guided much of his life. His studies at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts led to his ordination as a Permanent Deacon in 1967. He was a devoted parishioner of Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal, where he also served as Deacon, for many years. Robert expressed his passion for this office by founding the Montreal Fund for the Diaconate in 1984, a registered non-profit that supported Diaconal studies for the Anglican Church throughout Canada. His life and memory will be celebrated at Christ Church Cathedral in the weeks to follow, after which he will be interred surrounded by family in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

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