Robert Elwood Lemos, 91, of Dartmouth, died Sunday, January 28, 2018, at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA after a brief illness. He was the husband of the late Florence N. (Borden) Lemos. They were married for 68 years.
Born in New Bedford, he was the son of Manuel J. Lemos and Lydia P. (Potter) Lemos. A life-long resident of Dartmouth, Bob helped his father manage the family poultry farm business as a young man. He graduated from Dartmouth High School. He then joined the Navy as a Seabee radarman and was stationed in the Pacific theater during World War II spending some of his time in Guam. After the war, Bob received his bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State College. A grant from the National Science Foundation allowed him to pursue further studies at Brown University. He received his master’s degree in the teaching of mathematics from Harvard University. He studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and later taught for a summer at Kansas State University. Initially, he worked as a teacher in the Norton Public School system. He then joined the faculty at Dartmouth High School and taught math and chemistry there for many years. Later on, he became an associate professor of mathematics at Bridgewater State College and continued in that position until his retirement.
Bob was very civic-minded and served on various committees in town. Some of these positions included the Dartmouth Finance Committee, where he served a period as chairman. He also served on the Prudential Committee for Fire District II. He was very interested and involved in town matters serving as a town meeting member for many years.
Bob was an avid golfer. His interests also included collecting antique bottles which he and his wife, Flip, would bring to bottle shows across the country. He was always eager to share his knowledge about his collection and would inspire many by sharing information about each bottle’s history with the many inquisitive admirers. Together, Bob and Flip visited all fifty states. They enjoyed traveling overseas and visited many countries including Germany, Switzerland and England.
He is survived by his brother, Edward J. Lemos, VMD, and his wife, Marilyn of New Hampshire; a sister, Margaret (Peg) Merritt and her husband, Robert of Carver; a daughter, Wendy Howland and her husband, Charles of Dartmouth; a son, Gary and his wife, Laurie of Durham, Maine; and a daughter, Martha Lemos, DVM, of Somerset; four grandchildren, Charles J. Howland, Kate H. Choate and her husband Michael, Hillary Lemos and her husband, Brendan Tormey, Mark Lemos and his wife, Dr. Erika Wilson; one great-grandchild, Jack, along with several nieces and nephews.
He was the brother of the late Edith M. (Lemos) Johnson.
He was a member of the Allen’s Neck Friends Meeting, the National Audubon Society, Hawthorn Country Club and the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust.
Mr. Lemos’ family is most appreciative of the care he received at The Residence at Cedar Dell.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.