Robert Norrie Cadwalader

Thomas Lloyd Robert Norrie Cadwalader, 83, died peacefully on January 4, 2026, with family at his side.

Bobby was born in Wales on October 16, 1942. His mother, Phyllis J. Clegg, was the widow of Flight Sergeant Thomas Lloyd Joseph Norrie, R.C.A.F., killed in action during the Thousand Bomber Raid several months earlier. A few years later she met an American artillery officer, Thomas F. Cadwalader, Jr. After the war they married, and the new family moved to the United States. The family lived on the Cadwalader’s farm, and two other Harford County locations, during which time Bobby’s two sisters were born. In 1951 they settled in Roland Park, Baltimore, the same neighborhood where Bob later lived with his own young family, just one street away from his beloved parents. Despite living in town, he loved spending time at the farm and in the country and did so throughout his life.

As the only father Bobby ever knew, Thomas Cadwalader made it official when he subsequently adopted him. Bobby’s interest and pride in the history and heritage of both his fathers, as well as his mother, led him to compile an exhaustive record of his families’ genealogy and to embrace the traditions each maintained.

After graduating from the Grove School in Madison, Connecticut, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served as an MP with the Army Security Agency in Turkey and Japan and with the 503rd MP Detachment in Korea. He enjoyed his time in both Turkey and Korea, but particularly loved the people, customs, and countryside he encountered in Turkey. While in Korea, his fellow servicemen introduced him to the Mormon religion, which he later adopted.

Upon returning to civilian life in the late-1960s, Bob married Ellen Reedy and immersed himself in the then-booming folk music scene. He was already an accomplished musician, with a beautiful tenor voice and mastery (self-taught) of both 6 and 12-string guitars, as well as the dulcimer, autoharp, and bass. Although he didn’t read music, he could accurately play and sing any song after hearing it once or twice. He performed at numerous concerts and coffeehouses throughout Maryland and surrounding states, as well as on television. He owned and operated two folk music coffeehouses: the “Crack of Dawn” in downtown Baltimore and “15 Below” in Timonium.

At the same time, Bob served as editor-in-chief and publisher for “Folk Forum,” a monthly magazine of the folk arts. That was also his first venture into writing for publication, which later expanded into a far larger enterprise: a regular column in the Maryland Gazette (Cadwalader At Large); numerous articles for The Atlantic Flyer and other aviation publications; and occasional pieces for the Baltimore Sun, including “Christmas Away from Home.”

After several years, and the birth of a daughter, Bob and Ellen’s marriage ended and, while the folk music boom faded in the mid- to late-70s, Bob performed until the early 80s. Even after he stopped performing, playing and listening to music brought him joy throughout the rest of his life, including learning a new instrument, the tin whistle.

In the latter part of the 70s Bob used the GI Bill to take flying lessons, while also working as a private investigator. During this time, he met and married Christina Lanterman. After a few years they moved to be closer to BWI airport; this is where they raised their five children. Bob earned both his private pilot license and his commercial pilot license, as well as qualifying to fly jet aircraft for one of his jobs. He worked for several companies, including DHL and Hinson Airways, and helped to establish and run several other aviation companies. He later had his own flight schools and charter companies, Eastern Air Transport and Baltimore Airways.

After the changes in aviation following 9/11, Bob decided to retire and began to devote more time to his many other interests, especially helping on the family farm in Harford County and developing his hobby of photography into a retirement career.

It is challenging to describe Bob in any reasonable amount of time or space because of the number and variety of his talents, interests, and character traits. He will lovingly be remembered for his sense of humor, his great ability to tell stories, his funny quirks, his knack for building things, his willingness to help whenever needed, his love of animals and the outdoors, his penchant for VW buses and model railroads, and his generosity with his time and talents.

Bob is survived by Christina (nee Lanterman), his beloved wife of 48 years; his eldest daughter, Heather Schwartz (Ken); his daughter Catherine Brown (Chris); his sons Andrew, Richard, Ian and Thomas (Alley); his sisters, Elizabeth Cadwalader (Gene Baron) and Sophia Hayes (Tod); and four grandchildren: Will Schwartz; Lauren, Logan, and Leah Brown.

The funeral will be on Saturday, January 24, 2026, 11:00 a.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 409 5th Avenue SE, Glen Burnie, Maryland. A private burial will be held at Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery, 11501 Garrison Forest Road, Owings Mills, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue at www.cbrrescue.org or to the D-Day Dodgers Foundation at gofund.me/6763a07b