Robert Eugene Nye Jr. February 6, 1922 - October 24, 2012
Robert (Bob) Eugene Nye Jr. died from pneumonia on October 24, 2012, at the age of 90. He was conceived in Buenos Aires, born in Cincinnati, raised in London, and resided at 19 Church St., Norwich, for fifty-six years. He attended Westminster School (London) as a boy, which provided valuable academic, intellectual, and practical lessons, as well as a lifetime supply of stories. He received his A.B. from the University of Ohio (1943) and M.D. from the University of Rochester (1947). While a medical intern in Rochester, Bob met fellow intern Dr. Frances Thomsen, and they married August 7, 1948, forming a strong partnership which would last for sixty-four years. In 1956 Bob was invited to be part of the first wave of new hires at Dartmouth Medical School charged with transforming the school from a 2-year school to a full 4-yr, MD-granting institution. In September of that year, Bob and Fran moved with their 3 young boys to the house on Church Street, which would be home base for the rest of his life. Bob was a Professor in the Department of Physiology until his retirement in 1987. He took pride in his teaching of respiratory physiology, and was revered by his students in return. Bob was a man with keen appreciation for precision and detail, and he achieved enviable results in his serial hobbies (among them cabinet-making, folk-singing, book-binding, and photography). He had a lifelong interest in music, and provided his rich bass voice to the church choir for forty years. He also had a sustained interest in history in several forms, such as the history of medicine and the history of words. Among Bob's signal qualities were kindness, gentleness and generosity, and a wry, sharply focused and intellectual sense of humor.
Family members he leaves behind are Frances (Fran) his wife and partner of 64 years; son David, and his partner Michaelene (Ontko) and their children Eric, Matthew,Ê Jennifer, Allison and Emily; son Christopher, and his partner Anna (Plager) and their children Benjamin and Amelia; and son Peter and his partner Jamie (Marks). Bob also leaves behind a large of number friends with whom he was especially close. He was predeceased by his brother William and his sister-in-law Jackie (Logan).
A memorial service will held be held on Saturday, November 3, at 2:00pm at the Norwich Congregational Church.