After a yearlong battle with kidney cancer, Robert Lloyd Constable died peacefully on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 at his home in Pelham, N.Y. Tina, his wife of 27 years, and their sons, Spencer and Tyler, were by his side. He was 57 years old.
Born Aug. 24, 1962, Rob was one of four sons of Bob and Bobbie Constable of Montclair, N.J., and Cazenovia. He attended the Kent School in Connecticut, where he played varsity soccer, tennis and squash. He was a 1985 graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where he was a walk-on starter for the men’s lacrosse team and served as team captain his senior year.
Upon graduating from Lafayette, Rob joined National Westminster Bank in Manhattan, where he eventually rose to Vice President, Media and Communications, covering cable TV, newspaper and broadcast enterprises. He later earned an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and went on to work at Disney Networks, IAC/Home Shopping Network and CBS Inc.
Rob had a natural gift with people and could make anyone feel immediately at ease with his jovial banter and uncanny ability to forge connections with everyone he met. At nearly 50, he leveraged these skills by actively pursuing a career in development and going on to join institutional advancement teams at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, N.J., and the Hackley School in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Outside of his professional life, Rob had a knack for getting things done and a thirst for helping advance many a worthy cause. Rob’s volunteer commitments were deep and varied. For a decade, he was president of the Elka Park Club, a close-knit community in the Catskill Mountains where he, Tina, and their boys spent countless happy summers. For the past two years, Rob made significant contributions as co-chair of Lafayette College’s Friends of Men’s Lacrosse. The program has renamed one of its annual awards as the Rob Constable ’85 Brotherhood Award, which is presented each year to the player who, through outstanding leadership, consistently inspires his teammates on and off the field.
Rob’s drive to challenge himself in new ways was not limited to his career. A lifelong athlete, Rob took up competitive rowing in 2013, joining the Pelham Community Rowing Association. On the water most mornings at 5:30 a.m. with his teammates, Rob embraced this new sport with gusto. In 2017, he entered the C.R.A.S.H.-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championship. Competing against seasoned rowers, Rob finished second against a field of experienced competitors from around the world and with a time that would have earned an 18-year-old recruitment to a Division 1 rowing program! He proceeded to race in four-man boats, competing in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Amsterdam, even after receiving his cancer diagnosis.
This gregarious, fun-loving, larger-than-life man was always quick with a smile, a kind word, and an offer to pitch in. He will always be remembered for his legendary wit and his dexterous dance moves, as well as for being a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. In addition to Tina, Spencer and Tyler, Rob is survived by his parents, Bob and Bobbie, and brothers, Jeff, Peter and Andrew.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Rob’s name may be made to The Pelham Community Rowing Association at pelhamrowing.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/TheRobertLConstable4RacingShellMemorialFund/tabid/1089273/Default.aspx. A service will be held 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct., 12, at the Huguenot Memorial Church, 901 Pelhamdale Ave., Pelham, N.Y., followed by a reception at 2 p.m. at the Manor Club, 1023 Esplanade, Pelham.
