Robert DuBeau

Robert DuBeau, longtime resident of Rockville CT and Wellfleet MA, succumbed to the annoyances of Parkinson’s Disease on January 21, 2023 after trying to ignore the affliction for years.

Bob was born in Willimantic CT in 1934, the third of four children of Conrad and Esther (Parent) DuBeau. There, he attended St. Mary’s parochial school and Windham Regional High School, where as a freshman he met his future wife, Marsha Turshen of Amston. To the surprise of most everyone but himself, he was accepted to Harvard, where he worked to pay his tuition by e stablishing a food concession in the residence houses. By the time he graduated in 1956, his then multi-employee business was taken over by the College as part of their food service.

Drafted directly out of college, Bob had the otherwise good fortune of being posted to Camp Wellfleet on Cape Cod, where he started his long love affair with the Outer Cape. After the Army, Bob attended law school at the University of Connecticut, then entered practice in Rockville, where he and Marsha made their home, expanded their family, and became a part of the community. He built his practice on Park St., served on the Vernon Board of Education for seven years, was a lector and member of the church council at St. Bernard’s Church, and was active in the Jaycees and Exchange Clubs. He was legal counsel for Rockville General Hospital and legal examiner for Tolland County for many years, and served on the Connecticut Bar Association as a bar examiner. He was an avid player of racquet sports and golf, and a hockey dad who loved attending the activities of his children and grandchildren. He had season tickets to both the Hartford Whalers and the Hartford Symphony.

Bob, Marsha and family returned to Wellfleet each year for vacation, eventually buying a parcel of the former Camp Chequessett and restoring the old camp counselors’ house to use as a summer cottage. When they retired, they further renovated the house for year-round use and moved in full time.

Bob quickly engaged in the Wellfleet community. He was a member of the Wellfleet Housing Authority that helps provide affordable housing for year-round local workers. He helped found Nauset Neighbors, the volunteer network to help aging residents stay in their homes. He was the first representative from Our Lady of Lourdes parish to the area interfaith council. He was an enthusiastic golfer at the Chequessett Yacht & Country Club, and a volunteer at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

Friends and relatives were always invited to visit the DuBeau’s in Wellfleet and will miss Bob’s dry wit, quiet wisdom and sneaky humor. Several friends from their early Rockville days, including good friends Pat & Dick Dimock, established their own connections to the outer Cape based in part on Bob’s enthusiasm for the area. One curious friend once asked Bob: “You don’t have a boat. You don’t seem to like sitting on the beach. What is it about Wellfleet?” to which Bob answered, “I just love to look at it.”

Bob is survived by his wife Marsha, and a large loving family: Dr. Catherine DuBeau of Lebanon NH; Matthew and his wife Leslie Haynes-DuBeau of Nyack NY; Peter & Lisa DuBeau of Norfolk, VA, Adam & Lauren Love-DuBeau of Marcellus NY; Sarah DuBeau-Farley & Stephen Farley of Dorchester MA; his grandchildren Madeline, Henry, Julia, Jack, August, Sam and Elise; and the families of multiple nieces & nephews.   

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on March 11th at St. Ignatius Church 28 Commonwealth Ave Chestnut Hill at 10am.  Reception to follow the mass.

To honor Bob’s memory, please consider supporting the Parkinson’s Support Network of Cape Cod with a donation to the American Parkinson Disease Association, Massachusetts chapter

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