Robert McElwain died on April 3, 2024 at his home in Woodstock, following a period of declining health.
Bob was born in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Sept. 17, 1937. He grew up in Cincinnati and then attended the University of Michigan where he received a BA (1960) and an MBA (1963).
Michigan and its sports would remain an abiding love for Bob throughout his life (Go Blue!).
He worked in the world of finance in New York and Chicago until a classic mid-life crisis led him and his family to Grafton, Vt. in 1974. After a few years, his wife and children returned to Chicago but Bob remained in Vermont — a state he loved and where he felt at home. Although they did not live in the same place, Bob continued to have a loving and strong relationship with his children and later his grandchildren who all helped to make his life so special.
In 1977 Bob founded Bike Vermont an inn-to-inn bicycle touring company. The best possible fringe benefit he always said was that Fiona MacDonald came down from Toronto to join a tour and impetuously asked him to marry her. They have been happy ever since.
After fifteen years, the business was sold and Bob and Fiona spent the next thirty years traveling the world, walking on beaches, and working in their ever-expanding gardens in Woodstock. Bob was a voracious reader, a fan of many sports, particularly baseball, a lover of country music, and a keen player of cribbage.
He derived much pleasure from the many hours he spent volunteering at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the Woodstock Community Food Shelf, and the Naples Botanical Garden. He was an active friend of Bill W. for the past thirty-two years.
He is survived by his wife Fiona and his three children: Beth McKenna (Dave), Amy Strickland (Dave), and Robert McElwain (Secil), and his six grandchildren.
At his request, there will be no service, but at a later date, there will be gatherings of friends and family to remember Bob.
Donations in Bob’s name may be made to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf or the Norman Williams Public Library.
Bob’s family would like to thank Bayada Hospice for their compassionate help and support over the last four months.
The Cabot Funeral Home is assisting the family (cabotfh.com).
