Robert (Bob) J. True passed away on the morning of March 14 at Sedgewood Commons in Falmouth, surrounded by the family he loved.
Bob was born in Lawrence, Mass. on Nov. 23, 1935. A graduate of Searles High School in Methuen, Mass., Bob went on to earn a B.A. in History and English from Boston University, followed by a law degree from Suffolk University in Boston, Mass. and acceptance to the Massachusetts Bar.
Bob was an Army veteran, having served in both an active and reserve capacity. He left the Army in 1959 holding the rank of captain.
Throughout most of his working career, Bob held senior positions at community savings banks, first at the Essex Savings Bank and later at Watertown Savings. Bob was a strong believer in community-based savings banks, where service was personal and competition benefited the customer.
An avid sailor, Bob used his beloved Daydream, a Rhodes 19 sailboat, as a source of relaxation for himself and Becky as well as a teaching tool for his children. As summer residents of Round Pond, Bob and family spent countless hours exploring the Midcoast and cruising the islands of Muscongus Bay.
Never one to be constrained by convention, Bob’s powerboat of choice was neither fiberglass nor wood, but rather aluminum. In recognition of his deviation from the norm, he aptly named his aluminum craft Tinisin.
Bob’s dedication to family, combined with his interest in history, led him to explore genealogy. He succeeded in tracing his family history back many generations. Linking family history to events in American history became Bob’s way of instilling a sense of family values and moral and social obligations in his children. He was a wonderful teacher, and he always led by example.
Among Bob’s many talents were a gift for both the spoken and written word, and an artistic ability. He expressed his artistic bent early on in the form of scrimshaw on traditional whale teeth, and later in life in the form of watercolors and pencil sketching. His scrimshaw creations are some of the most valued treasures of family and close friends.
When family members needed help or advice, it was Bob’s counsel that they would seek, and that advice would always be grounded in sound logic supported by moral conviction. Bob was kind, loving and always generous with his time and energy.
Bob set the family standard for honesty, integrity, generosity and love.
Surviving Bob are his wife of 46 years, Rebecca J. True (nee Packer); and children and their families, Jon True of Litchfield, N.H., wife Audra, and their son Matthew, Isabelle True of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., son Andrew Nypert, and longtime family friend and supporter Nathan Kalili, and Ben True of Charlotte, N.C., wife Merri, and sons Gavin and Ben.
A private family memorial service will be held in Round Pond this summer.
The family requests that anyone interested in supporting Bob’s favored charities make donations to The New Hampshire Breast Cancer Coalition (www.nhbcc.org), 18 Belle Lane, Lee, NH 03861-6438 or Helping Hands of Round Pond Maine, PO Box 114, Round Pond, ME 04564.
Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.directcremationofmaine.com.
