Obituary: Robert J. Lord (Father Bob), 83, of Milford

Information via Cody-White Funeral Home.

“Oh my God!” Reverend Robert J. Lord (Father Bob), 83, would exclaim any moment there was news or surprise – a favorite utterance nearly everyone came to expect when interacting with one of Connecticut’s greatest spiritual guides. Father Bob, of Milford, CT, and Singer Island, FL, met his God on 12/30/2017 after passing away from natural causes at Masonicare Hospice in Wallingford, CT.

Robert was born to James A. and Mary F. (Hayes) Lord in Waterbury, CT, on March 9, 1934. One of 7 children, Robert attended the Kingsbury Grammar School until 1948, graduating from Crosby High School in 1952. Robert then entered St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT, to begin his studies, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University in 1956, and then going on to earn a master’s in Divinity from Christ the King Seminary at St. Bonaventure in 1960.

On May 26, 1960, Father Bob was ordained by the Archdiocese of Hartford and was immediately assigned to Harwinton, North Branford, East Haven, and Kensington. Father Bob then became a Co-Pastor of St. Rita Church in Hamden for 8 years, and during that same time, he earned a Doctor of Ministry from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA.

After completing his doctoral degree, Father Bob became the Archdiocesan Catholic Campus Minister at Central Connecticut State University where he served for 12 years. Students and faculty saw Father Bob as their trusted friend, mentor, and spiritual guiding light. After Central, Father Bob assisted a number of parishes in the Woodbridge area and spent winters at his condo on Singer Island and summers at his home on Laurel Beach in Milford.

In his later years, Father Bob was active on numerous boards including the American Red Cross, Easter Seal Goodwill Industries Rehab Center, United Way, Notre Dame High School, Friedsam Memorial Library, and the Seagrape Tower Condo Association; he also served as Chair of the National Catholic Campus Ministry Association.

Valuing education and philanthropy, Father Bob embraced numerous philanthropic pursuits, setting up multiple educational scholarships and trusts, in addition to his support of charities including the Rose Hill Center and the Be Like Brit Orphanage Foundation, where the “Father Bob Lord Chapel” in Grand Goave, Haiti is named in his honor.

A world traveler, Father Bob held dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland and frequently traveled to Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, where in 2009 he traveled to Malta to be awarded a “Grand Cross of Merit” from the American Association of the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta.
Father Bob is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Jim and George; he is survived by his brother, Dr. Jerome Lord; his sisters, Mary Dooley, Patricia O'Hara, and Helen Lord; many nieces and nephews; and countless, friends, neighbors, classmates, students, and parishioners across many nations who will miss Father Bob for his generous mentorship, friendship, and wisdom.

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