Robert Joseph Cormier Obituary

Robert Joseph Cormier attended Grafton Memorial High School in Grafton, MA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Robert Joseph Cormier.

Graduation Year	Class of 1972
Date of Passing	Oct 30, 2005
About	Robert Joseph Cormier, Director of Social Sciences Teacher, SHS, Passes Away Robert Joseph Cormier, born August 3, 1941, in Worcester, MA, died Thursday, Oct. 30th in his home in Shrewsbury, surrounded by his loving family, after a long illness. Mr. Cormier was Director of Social Sciences at Shrewsbury High School where he taught since 1991. Previously he taught at Grafton High School for 21 years and at Assumption Preparatory School for seven years, where he was also the coach of winning track and cross-country teams. Teaching was a true calling for him, and he was admired by colleagues and students alike. His continuing correspondence and contact with many former students indicated his influence on their lives. Mr. Cormier devoted much time to researching primary source documents from American history, and he shared this interest and research with his students. In 1994 Mr. Cormier was the first public school teacher to be elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society (AAS). In 1991 he was awarded a John F. Kennedy Teaching Award for excellence in teaching and curriculum development. He was selected from among national candidates to participate in the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Stratford Seminar in 1984 and the New York Historical Society’s program for teaching from historical artifacts in 1999. He was an elected member of The Colonial Society of Massachusetts and was a member of the Worcester History Group and the Shrewsbury Historical Society. He has done extensive research in local history, including documenting the original land grants for Shrewsbury and Boylston and the genealogies and everyday lives of local figures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Mr. Cormier served four consecutive terms on the Shrewsbury School Committee from 1971 to 1983 and was Chairman for several years. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC). A life-long learner and scholar, Mr. Cormier held a B.A. in History and an M.A. and C.A.G.S. in American History, all from Assumption College. Mr. Cormier served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959 to 1963. Mr. Cormier was an avid runner and completed the Boston Marathon in 1983 and 1984. Mr. Cormier is survived by his wife Carol (Tansey Greenberg) Cormier; two sons, “Casey” Kenneth J. Cormier of Lynn and Scott R. Cormier of Alton, NH; and by his daughter Amy J. Cormier of Kent, Washington. He is also survived by his grandchildren Allison, Nathaniel, and Samuel Cormier of Alton, NH; by his sister Christine (Cormier) Engvall and brother Briant F.R. Cormier, both of Leicester; his brother Guy R. Cormier of Worcester; his sisters Norma (Bernard) Holmes of Winchendon and Nadine (Bernard) Andrews of Dennis; and his brother Bruce Bernard of Wayne, NJ. He is also survived by his stepchildren Frederick J. Greenberg of Davis, CA and Rachel (Greenberg) Swinkin of San Francisco, CA; by his step-granddaughter Maya Greenberg of Davis, CA; and by nieces and nephews. He was the son of Norman Bernard and Anita M. (Lambert) Cormier, and Francis K. Cormier, Mr. Cormier grew up in Spencer and Leicester and lived here for more than 30 years. He was a caring man of great substance and courage and good humor. His was a beautiful life.