Robert McCafferty
MANCHESTER - Robert McCafferty, 83, died Wednesday, September 22, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Bob was an only child, born on June 30, 1938, in Hershey, PA. His mother Georgiana was an elementary school teacher. His father Robert worked for Hershey Chocolate and was an avid outdoorsman, introducing Bob to flyfishing and Alpine skiing. The two of them often made the eight-hour drive to Vermont.
Upon graduating from junior college, Bob moved to West Dover, with his girlfriend Nancy. There they built The Dover Hof, a small ski lodge. On August 30, 1958, Bob and Nancy married each other in the local church. After joining the Canadian Ski Alliance, Bob helped Nancy run the lodge and taught skiing at Mount Snow. Among his many students was the actor Paul Newman. In the summer of 1961 his son Jon was born.
After running the lodge for six years they sold the business and built a new home in Haystack, a ski area in neighboring Wilmington. Through this experience he became further involved in real estate and property development with Dover Hills and Kenyon Realty. In 1974 the family moved to Prinecton, NJ, where Bob continued to practice both commercial and residential real estate with Landmark Development and The Trust. In 1979 they moved to Montclair, NJ, where Bob joined the Garibaldi Group.
In 1996 Bob and Nancy purchased a second home in Dorset, where they would weekend and vacation. In 2000 they moved to Dorset full time and began construction on their dream home. Living in southern Vermont full time enabled Bob to get involved with Merck Forest and the Southern Vermont Art Center. Not loving being “retired,” he also opened an office in Manchester for LandVest Real Estate. Bob also became involved in Southern Vermont Hospice as a result of his beloved wife Nancy’s long battle with cancer. His semiretirement was also filled with hiking, skiing, tennis, travel, and gardening while quietly maintaining his painting practice.
On Sunday, February 28, Nancy lost her battle with cancer. After 63 years of marriage his family finds comfort knowing Bob and Nancy are together again. Bob is survived by his son Jon, his grandson Willem, Jon’s partner Lisa Feiwel and her children Rae and Leonardo, as well as Willem’s mother Jackie Gross.
A casual celebration of Bob’s life will be held Saturday, November 6, from 3 to 6 pm at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester. Donations in Bob’s memory may be made to Merck Forest or the Southern Vermont Arts Center, c/o Brewster-Shea Funeral Home, PO Box 885, Manchester Center, VT 05255. To send personal condolences visit www.sheafuneralhomes.com.
