Theodore Standish

Theodore "Ted" Clifford Standish, Jr., age 76, of Clinton, Massachusetts, died suddenly at home on January 26, 2024. Ted was a great man, husband, dad, grandpa, brother, and friend who will be dearly missed.
Ted was born in New York City on June 15, 1947 to Theodore Standish, Sr. and Helen (Muller) Standish who both precede him in death. Ted lived in Levittown and Wantagh on Long Island, New York until 1955 when the Standish family relocated to Bethel, Connecticut where Ted and his sisters were raised on a Christmas tree farm, cementing Ted's life-long love for all things Christmas. Ted graduated from Bethel High School in 1965 and proceeded onto Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics. Ted started his career in government working for NASA and the EPA. One of Ted's proudest moments was working for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland during the Apollo 11 mission that landed men on the moon in July 1969. While working for the federal government, Ted received a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, DC in 1972. Following Ted's time in government, he held jobs in management consulting and information technology. In 2002, Ted received a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch University in Keene, New Hampshire and ended his career pursuing his passion as a licensed marriage and family counselor. Ted was proud to call Acton, Massachusetts home for over 30 years, raising his two children there. Ted is survived by his loving wife of 20 years, Jill (McDermott) Standish; his daughter, Jillian Standish of Arlington, Massachusetts, and her partner, Dónal Coomey of Acton, Massachusetts; his son, Nathaniel Standish, and his wife, Colleen (Donlan) Standish, both of Natick, Massachusetts; his sisters, Jana Standish, and her husband, William Dornbusch, of Colrain, Massachusetts, and Leanna Standish of Seattle, Washington; his grandchildren, including Jillian's daughters Karen and Alison Flynn, Nathaniel and Colleen's children Caroline and Theodore "Teddy" Standish, and the children of Jillian's partner, Dónal, whom Ted came to consider his own grandchildren, Molly Norris and Cian Coomey; his former wife and mother of his children, Susan (Beust) Bartels of Harwich, Massachusetts, and her mother, Beverly Beust of Newton, Massachusetts; his brothers-in-law, Shane McDermott and his wife, Eileen, of Westfield, New Jersey and Shawn McDermott and his wife, Shannon, of Snowmass, Colorado; his nephews, Jason and Clifford Standish Dornbusch and Kevin and Dillon McDermott; and his nieces, Hannah Standish Dornbusch and Mary, Brittany, and Bridget McDermott.
In addition to his parents, Ted was preceded in death by his beloved aunt, Helen Standish Brown of Southbury, Connecticut; his cousins Roger and Clara Simons of Irvington, New York; and Jill's parents, Patrick and Barbara McDermott of Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Ted was an active member of the Trinity Church in Bolton, Massachusetts and we thank the church community for their friendship and support during this difficult time.
Visiting hours will be held on Monday, February 12, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Acton Funeral Home, 470 Massachusetts Avenue, Acton, Massachusetts 01720. Donations in Ted's name to The Virginia Thurston Healing Garden Cancer Support Center in Harvard, Massachusetts would be greatly appreciated.