Francis “Rollie” Chamberlain, 83, of Noank died Saturday, June 21, 2014 at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Carol R. Chamberlain.
He was born May 1, 1931 in Hartford, CT, the son of the late Frank R. and Margaret (Hickey) Chamberlain. He attended Bulkeley High School, UCONN and served in the U.S. Navy. Rollie and Carol were married in 1956 and raised five children together. Rollie worked for 35 years as Sales Representative for Bird & Son Roofing Company in Walpole MA.
He was an avid cyclist, loved boating, fishing, the Red Sox, and Giants football. Most of all he loved spending time with his family. He was a daily patron of the Mystic Market for his “coffee group” and every Friday at Noah’s in Stonington Borough. He enjoyed the company of his many friends in the Mystic area and spoke fondly of them often. If you ask anyone in Mystic if they knew “Rollie” chances are they did.
Summer at Attawan Beach and Black Point was a family tradition. Dating back to the 1950’s several generations have enjoyed “summers at the beach”. Rollie built the house at Attawan Beach on weekends traveling down to the beach from Hartford with the help from relatives, an arduous task to say the least, his perseverance and determination provided years of enjoyment for his mother and family. Rollie’s strength of character and tremendous spirit will be missed by all who loved him.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his five children; David of Old Lyme CT, Cathy of Marblehead MA, Frank R. IV of Farmington CT, Matt of Old Lyme CT, and James of Niantic CT and his six grandchildren; Griffin, Hayley, Tyler, Sarah, Rollie V, and Liam. He is also survived by his sister, Ann of West Hartford CT and his niece, Mary Beth of Stamford CT.
Rollie’s family will greet relatives and friends on Friday, June 27, from 6 to 8pm at the Dinoto Funeral Home, 17 Pearl Street, Mystic. A Memorial Mass will be conducted on Saturday, June 28, at 10:00am at St. Patrick Church, 32 East Main Street, Mystic. Burial will be private for the family.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Rollie’s memory may be made to St. Jude Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105 or www.StJude.org.
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