Robert J. McCabe AHC, 80, of Maynard, MA passed away unexpectedly on Sunday March 11, 2012 and will be sorely missed.
He was the husband of Claire (Francis) McCabe for 58 years and he is survived by children Susan (McCabe) Messier (Donald), Stephen (Koko), Timothy (Miwa), Charles, Brennan (deceased), Robert F; grandchildren Paul, Jacquelyn and Claire Messier; Maya McCabe; Brennan, Jessica and James McCabe; R. John and S. Lindsay McCabe. Also sisters and brothers: Anne St. George, Margaret Driscoll, Helen Norwood, Charles J. McCabe and Leo P. McCabe.
Raised in East Cambridge, Bob studied metallurgy at Rindge Technical School, knowledge that would later benefit him in the architectural hardware industry. Bob served in the U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska during the Korean War and earned a BA in History at Northeastern University. He set aside his career as a history teacher and Bachrach photographer in favor of becoming an entrepreneur as an Architectural Hardware Consultant. He was still fully active and President Emeritus at Campbell-McCabe. Bob is the past president of the Door and Hardware Institute and former chairman of the DHI Task Force on Model Building Codes, and advisor to the Massachusetts Architectural Barriers Board in its early years.
Among his 4,000 specifications he was proud of working with IM Pei, Jose Luis Sert and on multiple projects at Harvard University, several US Embassies, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, ICA, MGH, MIT, Yale, the Smithsonian, as well as the University of Baghdad and other projects in the Middle East. He was particularly gratified by solving difficult design challenges. He loved history and was well travelled, having visited at least 25 countries.
Bob’s community activities included hockey referee, Maynard Schools Construction Board, St. Bridget’s Parish including performances as a member of the choir for Pope John Paul II, and the Sound of Music’s Gazebo.
Funeral Services were held at St. Bridget’s Parish, One Percival Street, Maynard, MA, on Saturday March 17, 2012.
Donations can be made in Bob’s memory to: St. Vincent DePaul Society, 18 Canton Street, Stoughton, MA 02072, The Maynard Food Pantry, PO Box 55 Maynard, MA 01754.