Age 94, resident of North Hill, Needham, formerly of Wellesley and Concord, passed away on December 7, 2021. Born in New York, NY April 8, 1927, son of the late Marion Lamb Compton and Earl Roscoe Compton. Survived by his wife, Barbara (Simons) Feist Compton of Needham; daughter, Sarah D. Compton of Concord; son, Jeffrey A. Compton and his partner, Patricia Casey of Houston, TX; granddaughter, Elizabeth Compton of Austin, TX; sister, Pamela Ware of Richmond, VA; step-son, Howard (Skip) Feist, III and his wife, Nancy of Moultonborough, NH; and Skip’s son, Matthew Feist, of Boston. Also survived by five nephews, several cousins and his former wife, Mary B. Johnson of Concord. A graduate of Trinity College, Hartford, CT; WW II veteran who served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Juneau; retired sales and marketing executive. We will never forget his constant ability to make us laugh; his intellect and endless curiosity; desire to know everyone’s story and to tell stories like no other; and his kindness and ability to connect from the moment he met you.
A resident of Massachusetts since 1965 and a devoted Patriot’s and Red Sox, fan, Bob was a Jersey Boy at heart, with an endless trove of tales from his boyhood in the idyllic southern New Jersey towns of Moorestown and New Egypt. He played football at Moorestown High School before receiving a “War Diploma” and beginning his naval service aboard the USS Juneau. After his honorable discharge, he attended Trinity College, Hartford, CT, where he was Captain of the Varsity swim team and President of the Sigma Nu fraternity before graduating in 1950. Bob began his career at Campbell Soup Company’s headquarters in Camden, NJ, followed by sales and marketing roles at TV and radio stations in Pennsylvania, and within the oil and gas industry, which brought Bob and his family to Concord in 1965; and eventually, to Child Life Play Specialties.
Bob was a man of many interests, including reading, gardening, photography, history, politics, theater, music and following the Pats and Red Sox; and he was known for many years of smooth moves on the dance floor. He loved to travel near and far. Believing that “salt air cures everything,” he savored time at the Jersey shore or along the Maine coast where he and Barbara enjoyed many schooner trips aboard the “Heritage.” Bob had shared his loving heart as a GED tutor and food pantry volunteer. Above all, Bob wanted to be with his beloved wife, Barbara and his family, sharing his quick wit and a tale or two.
We are grateful to the staff of the Vista Terrace community at North Hill and the Hospice of the Good Shepherd for their loving care.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 22 at 2 PM at St. Andrews Church, 79 Denton Road, Wellesley, MA 02482 and online, Click Here.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the North Hill Employee Appreciation Fund (send checks designated in Bob’s memory to Sally Linden, 865 Central Ave., Apt. B-504, Needham, MA 02492) or to Covenant House in New York City (send checks designated in Bob’s memory to Covenant House, 461 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10001 or Click Here