Benjamin H Walcott

Benjamin "Ben" Hitchcock Walcott, 92, of Cotuit, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on April 26, 2025, under the exceptional care of the doctors and nurses of 3A North at Cape Cod Hospital.
Born on November 5, 1932, in Hartford, Connecticut, to the late J. Dexter Walcott, Jr. (Dex) and Ruth Hitchcock Walcott, as a young man, Ben was active in the Boy Scouts of America, which served as the foundation for his lifelong love of the outdoors. He attended Wilbraham Academy and Middlebury College, where he was a member of the Nordic ski team and a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. In 1954 Ben enrolled at Cornell University. Not long after his enrollment, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. After being honorably discharged in 1956 he went back to Cornell and in 1958 he earned his bachelor's degree from the School of Hotel Administration.
During college, Ben spent his summers working on Cape Cod, including one at the Pines Hotel in Cotuit, a place that he was always very fond of. After graduation, he joined the Purchasing and Dining Services Department at Harvard University, where he built a long and respected career, retiring as Assistant Director of Food Services after 27 years.
Ben was an avid skier, sailor, and tennis player, who also found joy in fishing, swimming, vegetable gardening, and cooking. He was an active member of the Longwood Cricket Club, Hyannis Yacht Club, Blue Water Sailing Club, Profile Ski Club, and Cape Cod Ski Club. An accomplished sailor, he cruised extensively from Maine to Block Island aboard his beloved Tartan 27, Morpheus, and crewed four times in the Marion–Bermuda Race. He won his class in the Figawi Race from Hyannis to Nantucket three times. As a skier, he made regular pilgrimages to Tuckerman Ravine in his youth and later delighted in skiing adventures across Europe, including Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, and Andorra. Ben also valued quiet moments spent reading or listening to classical music.
Ben shared a lifetime of adventure with his beloved wife and best friend of 41 years, Mary Marty. Together, they traveled the world, embracing new experiences and creating cherished memories that deepened their extraordinary bond with every journey.
Ben was a reflective, spiritual, and reverent man who lived by the Golden Rule and considered himself a citizen of Planet Earth. He held a deep appreciation for nature and animals and sought to live in harmony with the world around him.
In addition to his wife, Mary, Ben is survived by his stepson, Michael Jon Marty, and his wife, Kara Hayes; his grandchildren, Miranda Lynn Marty and Captain Michael Jon Marty II, USMC; his cherished niece, Phyllis Small, and her husband, Bob of Centerville MA; and his nephews, Stephen, Dana, and Michael. Ben was predeceased by his brother, James "Jim" Dexter Walcott III.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Ben's memory may be made to Doctors Without Borders (P.O. Box 5022, Hagerstown, MD 21741-9804) or The Barnstable Land Trust (1540 Main Street, West Barnstable, MA 02668).
The family will hold a private burial.