Reverend Dr. Theodore Edgar Romberg

The Reverend Doctor Theodore Romberg of Milton, Massachusetts, died June 25 after a brief illness. He was 82, the beloved husband of Ruth Romberg. In addition to Ruth Romberg, he is survived by his three daughters Roselyn, Carolyn and Rachelle, as well as grandchildren Emilie, Vasily, and Andrei Hardy, Spencer and Grace Morenko, and Max and Tessa Tuber. A memorial service will be held at United Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts on July 1 at 11AM. Theodore Edgar "Ted" Romberg was born December 22, 1932 in Burlington, Colorado, along with his identical twin brother, Thomas Albert Romberg. Their parents were Harland and Mary Josephine (Bridwell) Romberg. His younger siblings are Harland Francis "Pat" Romberg and Rosemary Romberg Wiener. He attended the University of Nebraska, earning a B.F.A. in music and began his professional career as a church choir director, vocal soloist and youth director. He felt the call to become a minister at that time, and soon attended Boston University School of Theology, where he earned a Doctorate in Ecumenics. He was ordained a Minister in the Methodist church in 1961. At a time when Methodist ministers moved to new churches every two or three years, Rev. Romberg served churches in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and Scituate, West Roxbury and Wollaston, Massachusetts, preaching and performing countless baptisms, weddings and memorial services. He also served in later years as co-Minister of United Parish in Brookline, and sang in its choir for many years. Rev. Romberg was an Executive Vice-President of the World Council of Churches and a member of the Faith-and-Order Commission, an assembly group important in the worldwide ecumenical movement. His other great professional passion was education. Dr. Romberg served as Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Emerson College in Boston for 30 years. There he taught ethics, comparative religions and philosophy, and became Chairman of the Department of Humanities. While at Emerson, he escorted many students to study religion, history and culture in such countries as Egypt, Italy, Russia, Japan, Spain and Morocco. He also served the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, evaluating grants and accreditation in curricula nationally. Ted loved singing and performed in the Chorus Pro Musica with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, Carnegie Hall and at the opening of Lincoln Center. He was privileged to be a singer and soloist under the direction of Aaron Copeland, Leonard Bernstein, Serge Koussevitzky, and Seiji Ozawa, among others. He was a regular patron of the Celebrity Series of Boston. He was an accomplished cook and a long-time Boston Red Sox fan. At 6'1", he was also an enthusiastic basketball player, and in the 1960s was a member of the Pawtucket Padres, an intramural team composed entirely of clergy. In later years his greatest joy was to be with his grandchildren, his daughters, and his sons-in-law Douglas Hardy of Concord, Massachusetts, Michael Morenko of Brooklyn, New York and Douglas Tuber of Woodland Hills, California. The name "Theodore" means "Gift of God."