“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, Conn., and Singer Island, Fla., met his God on Dec. 30, 2017, after passing away from natural causes at Masonicare Hospice in Wallingford, Conn. Robert was born to James A. and Mary F. (Hayes) Lord in Waterbury, Conn., on March 9, 1934. One of seven children, Robert attended the Kingsbury Grammar School until 1948, graduating from Crosby High School in 1952. Robert then entered St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn., 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.

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.