Chester T. "Chet" Raymo Jr.

Chet Raymo, beloved husband, father, writer, teacher, and interpreter of the natural world, died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 89 on January 25. For decades, Raymo stood at the rare crossroads of science and the humanities, inviting generations of readers to look up at the night sky, and down at the Earth beneath their feet, with wonder, humility, and care.

Born on September 17, 1936, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the son of Chester Theodore Raymo and Margaret Louise Dietzen, Raymo trained as a physicist and astronomer, but his greatest gift lay not only in understanding the universe, but in translating it for others. He devoted his professional life to teaching and scholarship, spending his entire career as a beloved professor at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, where he inspired and mentored generations of students. He believed deeply in education as a moral act-not merely the transmission of knowledge, but the cultivation of wonder and ethical responsibility.

To a wider public, Raymo was best known as the voice behind The Boston Globe's celebrated science column Science Musings, which ran for more than two decades. In those essays, he brought science into daily life with eloquence, wit, and philosophical depth, inviting readers to see their world with curiosity and awe.

Raymo authored more than a dozen books, including The Soul of the Night, 365 Starry Nights, and The Dork of Cork, which was adapted into the feature film Frankie Starlight. Another of his books, The Path, held special meaning closer to home, inspiring pride among his fellow Easton residents, who recognized in it both their shared landscape and Chet's abiding love for place and community. Across all his writing, he combined elegance and moral conviction in exploring our place in an immense and beautiful universe. In recognition of his literary achievement and contribution to public thought, he received the Lannan Literary Award in 1998.

Raymo was also a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship, leaving behind a legacy of joy and reverence for the natural world. As he reminded readers time and again, our task is simply to pay attention-to live with wonder and to care for the small corner of the world we are given. His sense of belonging extended far beyond any single home. For decades, he and his wife, Maureen, spent summers on Ireland's west coast, where stone, sea, weather, and deep history resonated with his love of walking and reflection. In winter, he found renewal in Exuma, where the clarity of light and sea offered a different yet equally sustaining beauty and where he also volunteered at the local high school teaching college-level physics. These seasonal migrations reflected his temperament: attentive to place, patient with time, and deeply attuned to the rhythms of nature.

Above all, Chet was a loving and devoted family man. He embraced marriage, parenthood, and grandparenthood with exuberance and humor. His family will remember him not only for the affection and boundless knowledge he shared, but also for the epic games he organized, the pun-filled meals he presided over, and the nights spent together looking up at the stars.

Chet Raymo is survived by his wife of 67 years, Maureen; his children, Maureen, and her partner Ray, Dan, and his wife Patty, Margaret, and her husband Mark, and Thomas, and his wife Jodi; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters Anne Raymo, Susan McGrath, Peggy Pejeau, and Jinx Commito. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Natural Resources Trust of Easton, in keeping with his lifelong commitment to education and the public understanding of science.

A memorial service will be held on March 28th from 11:00 - 2:00 at Alumni Hall at Stonehill College.