Edmund K. Summersby

Edmund Summersby
At age 93, passed away on May 17th, 2025 surrounded by friends and family at the Neville Center in Cambridge. Despite the physical setbacks of aging he maintained his gentle, sweet disposition right to the end. His kindness to all made a big impression on his caregivers, as it did to everyone who interacted with him over his lifetime.
Ed's early interest in building and design led him to a career in architecture, specializing in healthcare. A passion for craftsmanship was ingrained into everything he did, from boat building to all manner of outdoor and home repair projects. With his trademark precision, Ed was a tireless worker who loved to solve problems, fix things and help others with their own projects.
He was also an accomplished skier and avid mountain climber who met many lifelong friends during his adventures on the trails of New Hampshire and Vermont.
Ed was married for 62 years to Judith Allen Summersby, whom he met on a weekend ski trip in Stowe, Vermont, where he was a member of the patrol. He and Judy raised their two sons in the Huron Village neighborhood of West Cambridge. Their home became the anchor point for a vibrant social and cultural life, a mile from Harvard Square and Shady Hill School, which both children and later, two grandchildren, attended.
In 1974, Ed and Judy purchased a farmhouse in Thornton, NH after seeing a classified ad in the Boston Globe for "A Handyman's Dream." With his usual determination, Ed oversaw a complete renovation which transformed the house into an inviting space for friends and family to enjoy time in the White Mountains.
Born in 1931, Ed was raised in Summit, New Jersey, where he was introduced to many of the interests and hobbies that guided the rest of his life, including carpentry, scale-model building and skiing at the local country club. He spent nearly every summer with extended family along the St. Croix River in Minnesota. There he and his older sister Alan joined a large cohort of cousins and friends for many joyous summers of boating, fishing and swimming.
It was at the beloved river house where he launched a series of boats he made from kits, each slightly larger in size, culminating with a cabin cruiser (the "Mrs. B."). Bringing along a younger cousin as his assistant, Ed then piloted the Mrs. B along the full length of the Erie Canal to New York City. This was just the first of many long journeys he undertook in his lifetime.
Ed attended the Pingree School in New Jersey, followed by Middlesex School in Concord. He graduated from Harvard College in 1954 and earned his Bachelor's in Architecture from RPI in 1959. Following college, Ed was drafted into the Army and spent two years stationed in Berlin, Germany as a typing clerk. This was a signature life experience, one that allowed him to study German, take sailing lessons and attend the opera at night. With access to a dark room, he learned to develop the photographs he took of street scenes in post-war Berlin. During the winter of 1955/56, Ed was fortunate to land a spot on the Army Ski Patrol at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Alps which served as a resort for vacationing American soldiers.
In 1960, Ed began his career at The Architects Collaborative, Inc. (TAC) in Cambridge, where he worked for nearly 30 years. His primary focus was on hospital design and he served as Project Captain and Project Manager for new buildings at Children's Hospital in Boston and Long Island Jewish Hospital. In the later stage of his career, he joined Hoskins, Scott, Taylor where he became lead architect for the redesign of Boston City Hospital, later to become Boston Medical Center. His last major project was St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. Throughout his career, he found great satisfaction in the close collaboration with teams of architects on the drafting floor.
With TAC, there were several memorable international trips for design bids, first in the Middle East to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Iran and later to Pakistan, China, Singapore and Japan. With each country he visited, Ed always took advantage of opportunities for side explorations, including to the Swat Valley in Pakistan, Persepolis in Iran and Forbidden City in Beijing.
Ed first encountered Mt. Washington while on the freshman ski team at Harvard and later as president of the ski club, which operated a cabin near Pinkham Notch. He spent many Spring weekends traversing and skiing the steep slopes of Tuckerman's Ravine and Hillmans's Highway. Another favorite mountain was Mt. Mansfield, where he spent an entire winter on the patrol while renting a room in a house owned by the Moriarity Family, which made ski hats and had a son, Marvin, who was on the Olympic ski team in 1956.
In the early 1960s, Ed joined six friends in what became known as the "Winter Climb Group." Over one winter weekend each year, they tackled a different set of peaks in the White Mountains. The early years involved camping and climbing or skiing challenging routes, often in extreme weather, on Mt. Washington and Mt. Lafayette. As the members slowed down the trails became shorter and gentler but their annual gatherings in the mountains endured for more than 50 years.
In the 1970s, Ed developed a passion for cross-country skiing. He completed a number of long distance races (the early days of citizen racing) around the Northeast, including the Vermont Ski Marathon and the two day Canadian Ski Marathon in Quebec. He maintained friendly rivalries with ski friends where finishing times often came down to who had the best waxing combination. He also skied the Norwegian Birkebeiner twice and spent a week hut-to-hut skiing, again with his close friends, in the high peaks of the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway.
Other notable treks and climbs include a 1959 ascent of Baxter's Pinnacle and the Grand Teton in Wyoming with legendary guide Barry Corbett, and a trip to Nepal for trekking in the Mount Everest Region, summiting 20,226 foot Imja Tse (Island Peak). Ed also completed the Haute Route from Zermatt to Chamonix on skis, and, at close to age 70, made two trips to British Columbia for backcountry ski mountaineering.
A supportive father to his two sons, Ed made it a priority to attend little league games, early morning hockey practices, and important school events. He was similarly committed to spending time with his grandchildren and other younger family members, sharing his love for the outdoors and for building things..
Ed was a member of the Cambridge Sports Union, enjoyed running, roller skiing and for many years commuted by bike to work in Cambridge and Boston. In the 1960s, he marched against the Vietnam War and later was active with Veterans for Peace. Ed also served as president of The Harvard Travellers Club, which kept alive his interest in adventure travel.
In retirement, he and Judy traveled extensively, including to Greece, Czech Republic, Alaska, and twice to Cuba. They continued to enjoy entertaining friends in their Cambridge home and shared a mutual love of opera, theatre and concerts.
Throughout his life, Ed remained steadfast against self-promotion, instead letting his actions speak for themselves. He will long be remembered for his positive, caring nature, his strong work ethic and his dedication to family.
Ed was predeceased by his sister Alan (Summersby) Emmet, and her husband, Richard Stockton Emmet Jr. He is survived by his spouse Judy, son David, his wife Susan Jumper Summersby of Melrose, and their two children Emily and Jack, and by son Andrew, his partner Katie Johnson and their son Murray of St. Paul, MN.
Contributions in Ed's name may be made to the Sierra Club or to the Appalachian Mountain Club.
A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.