April 06, 1953 - January 31, 2018
January 31, 2018, was a sad day for the Darcy family as seven siblings lost their charming brother and Elizabeth Darcy lost her darling son.
Robert Michael Darcy was born on either April 6th or 7th in 1953. Being an unconventional kind of guy, even his birthday wasn’t straightforward. Robert first shared his life with his mother and father (Betty and Charlie) and siblings Rich, Terri, and Sandy before leaving their home in Jamaica Plain for the suburb of Stoneham. Robert enjoyed the freedom of his neighborhood and beyond. Family lore has it that he spent one entire summer barefoot. As a 3 year old, Robert hid newborn brother David behind the couch in his own version of hide-and-seek. Soon after, Mark and Maryanne joined the crowd. Robert was the first ‘home alone’ kid when the family went for a ride to the Charles River to feed the ducks. It was a while before his parents counted heads and noticed one was missing.
When John was born, the family outgrew their 3-bedroom ranch and the Darcy clan moved to Wakefield where Robert learned to swim in Lake Quannapowitt and was the first in his family to attend public school. Baby Nancy arrived bringing the final number of Darcy children to nine. Robert enjoyed many camping trips to New Hampshire and Maine sleeping in a pop-up camper where his close-knit family became even closer.
Robert joined St. Joe’s Band where he learned to march and play the clarinet and became the band captain. One of his happiest times was as a member of the prestigious Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps. He proudly sported a tattoo the corps emblem split-tailed lion (Waldo) long before tattoos were in fashion. The corps song Giant was one of the last sounds he heard.
Although he loved rain and thunderstorms, Robert surprised everyone by moving to sunny California while in his 20’s. He made lots of friends with whom he spent time at the beach, the opera, and the dog park. He loved living in a quaint bungalow in Altadena and driving his Miata convertible on the coast highway.
Despite living so far away, Robert met with family often in Massachusetts and around the country. Some memorable family events included Robert’s surprise appearance at Mom and Dad’s 40th wedding anniversary (with the help of a magician)—a family white water rafting adventure in Durango—an excursion to the Santa Fe Opera House to see Carmen—color guard finals in Phoenix and San Diego—drum corps shows in Allentown, Pasadena, and Buffalo—and weddings all over the country. A good time was always made better with Robert in the mix.
Robert loved animals of all kinds--especially dogs. He spent many happy years with his Boston terriers Wilson and Wyman, plus turtles Mildred and Dill and his adopted, feral cat Rufus (who loved only Robert).
While his given name was Robert, he went by many names. He was Robert to his family, Darcy to his fellow Crusaders and to his long-time dog park friends—Michael to his friends in California—Uncle Robert to nephews and nieces Seth, Ty, Glen, Taryn, Amy, Michael, Casey, Rachelle, April, Amber, Alex, Courtney (Connie), Mark and Allison, and grandnephews and grandnieces PK, Dash, Leah, Xander, Aedan, Yeats, Nico, and Elsa.
Robert was funny and quirky and witty, but above all, he was a genuinely nice person. Robert took an interest in how everyone else was doing and was always happy to share a long phone call with his mom or siblings, getting caught up across the miles on the latest about each and every family member. During his many, many visits back east to spend time with his parents and family, Robert was known for taking time for a visit or a kind word with everyone he crossed paths with along the way, from his mom's dear ol' friends to the staff at Brooksby Village where his parents moved in 2001 to the doctors and nurses he met in his final few months. Everyone was struck by the kind and entertaining way he had. To quote an unknown author, “I’m not impressed by money, social status or job title. I am impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.” Robert’s was a life well lived.
A memorial service for friends and extended family will be held in the chapel at Brooksby Village in Peabody at 2:00 p.m. on April 14th.
In Robert’s memory, donations can be made to Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, P.O. Box 51391, Boston, MA, 02205. Online: bostoncrusaders.org/memorial-gifts/