In Memoriam
“They will be remembered as we knew them in the full freshness and vigor of their young manhood. And as the years roll on and the seasons come and go, each evening the school will gather here for its few minutes of worship, prayer, and praise. And each morning some will be here to celebrate the great sacrifice which carries with it the hope of the world. Then in the words of an unknown poet –
- They shall not grow old
- As we that are left grow old.
- Age shall not weary them
- Nor the years condemn.
- At the going down of the sun
- And in the morning
- We shall remember them.
May they rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon them.”
– Samuel S. Bartlett
David P. Coles ’81
David Coles (SKS ‘81) passed away on December 21, 2023 peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, following an illness. David attended South Kent for all four years. David was “everybody’s friend” at South Kent and was a strong student. He excelled academically, particularly in English and Latin. He discovered the sport of rowing while at … Read more
Richard L. Randolph ’44
Richard (Dick) Lee Randolph died of natural causes after a short period of home hospice with family. Dick was an avid outdoorsman all his life and rowed his own raft down the Grand Canyon at 79 and camped throughout the West into his early 90s. For many years he would take his kids on 5- … Read more
John B. Severance ’54
John Bridwell Severance (Jake) of Savannah, Georgia, renown author, teacher, and artist, died peacefully at home on November 28, 2023. He was 88. He is survived by his beloved wife of 38 years, Sylvia Frezzolini Severance, who cared for him with daily devotion and brought great humor and playfulness to their life together. Jake was … Read more
James F. Cross IV ’71
BARRE – James F. “Jim” Cross IV, 70, died Nov. 20, 2023, at his home in Barre Town. He was born Dec. 2, 1952, in Orange, NJ, the son of Michèle and James Cross III. He graduated from South Kent School and Montclair State College. He earned bachelor’s degrees in French and German from Montclair … Read more
William W. Cochran, Jr. ’54
William Watts Cochran, Jr, 88, of Rockingham, VA, passed away Saturday, Oct 28, 2023, at Bellaire at Stone Port. He was born in New York, NY, on February 10, 1935, and was the son of the late William Watts Cochran and Mary (Vanderpool) Cochran. Bill grew up in Morristown, NJ and attended South Kent School … Read more
J. Reeves Cantus ’57
J Reeve Cantus, 84, a resident of Dorset, passed away September 8, 2023, at Equinox Terrace in Manchester Center, VT. He was born in Cedarhurst, NY on June 22,1939, the son of the late Howard and Eleanor (Hollister) Cantus. Reeve graduated from South Kent School in 1957, and Lafayette College in 1961. Reeve married Esther … Read more
Donald L. Cleveland ’63
Don passed away peacefully on August 28, 2023 in Stamford, Ct. He was 79 years old and born on August 20,1944 to Donald and Caroline Cleveland. Don entered South Kent as a second former and graduated with the class of ‘63. He was president of his class for five years, played Varsity hockey four years … Read more
Charles M. D. Swanson ’80
Beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, Charles “Chip” Swanson died unexpectedly on August 25, 2023. He was born on March 13, 1962, to Maynard William Swanson and Miriam Hamm Swanson. He graduated from South Kent School (South Kent, CT) in 1980 and earned a BA at Miami University (Oxford, OH) in 1985. He married Suzanne … Read more
Timothy Matson ’62
Strafford, VT – “It’s like the feeling you get at the end of a long day in the woods. The time has come to head home.” – A Country Planet (1986) by Tim Matson. Timothy O’Shea Matson was born May 27, 1943, in New York City, the first of four children to Harold and Ann … Read more