Anthony William Richard Coomber (1921-2005)

"Tony Coomber passed on Sunday, December 4, 2005. He was born on January 15, 1921 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He was educated at the Bedford School in England. During the war he served in the army in the North Africa campaign as a tank officer and then for Special Services; he was a paratrooper and participated in the invasion of France and Burma.

After the war Tony read Classics at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. His athletic pursuits included rowing, football (soccer), and fencing. He also developed a competency in French, Burmese, Urdu, German, and Italian.

His love of learning continued throughout his life with advanced studies at Harvard Summer School, Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut, American Academy in Rome, Biblical Archaeology Society at Oxford University, Virgilian Society, and numerous study tours all over Europe.

Tony arrived in America in 1953 where he taught at Daycroft School in Stamford, Connecticut from 1953-1956, then for 33 years at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey until 1988. He had a distinguished career teaching Latin and Greek as well as coaching fencing. Some of the fencers he coached continued on to compete in the Olympics. Tony was methodical in teaching and would always meet with a student one-on-one for extra help.

Tony enjoyed music, culture, line dancing, games, and poetry. He loved bible study, often referring back to the Latin and Greek origins of words to decipher their deeper meaning. After retiring in 1988 from the Lawrenceville School, he was an active member of the church and a regular tour guide of the historically significant Concord Christian Science Church; he helped homebound senior citizens; was librarian at the Christian Science Reading Room; taught Archaeology and ancient History at Linec adult education.

He enjoyed his role as Treasurer of the Epsom Men's Breakfast Club. An enthusiastic train buff, he sought out opportunities to ride on old time railroad trains and supported expansion of railroad travel in the United States.

He went into prisons, like his father had done, to minister to inmates. He was a very charitable man to the less fortunate and was avid about protecting the environment, with an emphasis on composting and recycling, long before it became popular.

Tony is survived by his three children and six grandchildren. He is survived by his former wives Janiece Foss-Coomber, Alice Hofstetter, and Lorraine Knight Coomber. He was predeceased by his wife Ethel Sprague Coomber in 1967."

Trinity Hall Cambridge Newsletter, Michaelmas 2006