Robert L. Jedrey Obituary
Robert L. Jedrey, 91, of Gloucester, MA, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, July 19, 2024, following a medical procedure.
Robert, commonly known as Bob, was born August 25, 1932 in Gloucester MA, the son of Elizabeth (Cotreau) Jedrey and Leonard Jedrey. Growing up in Lanesville, he had a strong affiliation with the ocean and had many fond childhood memories of swimming in the quarries, building forts in Dogtown, and playing town hockey on the frozen ponds.
Bob graduated from Gloucester High School in 1950 where he was recognized as a talented athlete, playing on the baseball, hockey and football teams. In his junior year, a teacher recommended that he get involved in football as a ticket to college. Bob studied the sport over the summer, made the team, and they won the division championship that year. As a student-athlete, he received a scholarship to Deerfield Academy for a post graduate year to hone his academic skills, then Amherst College followed, with Bob earning a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. A family friend piqued Bob's interest in medicine while growing up, and he attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York where he met his wife of 65 years, Patricia McGovern, of Fulton NY. After a three year residency program at what is now called Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Clinic in New Hampshire, Bob, Patricia and three young children, Susan, Michael, and Nancy, returned to Gloucester in 1963, and had two additional children, David and Peter.
Bob joined Walter O'Donnell in his medical practice located on the corner of Bass Ave and Thatcher Road. Later the practice grew to become the Cape Ann Medical Center with additional doctors and a new location at the Blackburn Industrial Park. Bob retired in 2000 after serving the Cape Ann community for 37 years. To Bob, it was the personal connection he forged with his patients that was his true enjoyment of his career.
Bob loved Gloucester and felt connected to the fishing community through his upbringing and ancestry in descending from a long line of fishermen from Nova Scotia, Canada. As the son of a lobsterman, he spent much of his younger life fishing with his father, helping to build lobster traps, and offloading fishing boats as a summer job during high school. He continued that connection through his medical patients from within the fishing community.
Bob firmly believed that remaining active, both mentally and physically, was the key to longevity, so he filled his spare time with household projects, tending to his garden with Patricia, and exercising. He had a love for roses and cultivated a large variety in the backyard, which he would often cut and present to his wife to decorate the house. He was an avid tennis player on the weekends, and he often enjoyed late afternoon picnics on Bass Rocks with Patricia, steaming freshly picked muscles to enjoy with a bottle of wine while watching the waves.
In retirement, Bob's gardening continued and he started a routine of riding his bicycle each morning, regardless of weather or temperature, and this regiment continued well into his late 80s. He also picked up kayaking at the age of 68 and he completed the 20 mile open water Blackburn Challenge three times. When he wasn't outside working on something, Bob filled his time with sketching and painting, reading books, and tinkering on the internet.
Most of all, Bob prided himself on being a family man and was always available to lend a hand on a project, sew up a cut, or provide some solid advice when required. He was the quintessential optimist who found joy and happiness all around him, and he shared that with whomever he met through his genuine kindness. Bob adored spending quality time with his family and grandsons, and he was at his happiest when he was surrounded at the dinner table for large family gatherings.
Bob is survived by his wife Patricia and their five children, daughter Susan and husband Ernie of Gloucester MA, son Michael and wife Tobi of North Kingstown RI, daughter Nancy and partner Susan of New Gloucester ME, son David and wife Lisa of South Dartmouth, MA, son Peter and wife Eri of Tokyo, Japan. Bob is also survived by seven grandsons, Samuel and his wife Allie, Maxwell, Alex, Carter, Bobby, Andrew, and Jack.
Visiting hours will be held at Greely's Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA. on Friday, July 26, 2024, from 4:00-7:00 pm. A Celebration of Life will be held in the future.
In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to The Gloucester Fishermen Athletic Association, thegfaa.org.
