Necrology

Howard Alan Colby '76

Jun. 8, 1953-Jul. 24, 2020

From working in the hotel management industry to serving as a caregiver for his brother and father, Howard Alan Colby ’76 devoted his life to bringing joy to others.

Born on June 8, 1953, and raised in Quincy, Mass., he was the son of Anne and Howard Colby. After graduating from Quincy High School as senior class president, he took some time off before enrolling at Hamilton to backpack through Europe.

On College Hill, Colby played on the hockey team and joined Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Hamilton friends remember his knack for storytelling, whether on the bus traveling to hockey games or the soliloquies on Moby Dick he’d deliver while engaging with friends at the DKE house.

After graduating with a degree in English, he took another “gap year” — this time to travel in Central America — before beginning his career with The Howard Johnson Co. In addition to managing full-service hotels/restaurants throughout Massachusetts, he taught hospitality/management courses at local junior colleges. Years later, he retired after managing the Best Western Hotel in Danvers.

A resident of Gloucester at the time, Colby transitioned to a new job at the nearby Yankee Fleet Whale Watching and Deep Sea Fishing Co. In recent years while living in Marshfield, Mass., he was self-­employed and enjoyed working outdoors on a variety of projects around the South Shore.

According to a published obituary, Colby “loved to cook and had an open-door policy at his home, as if to say, ‘You are ­welcome to come in if you’d like a good meal and conversation’ while enjoying the babbling brook in his backyard.” He was a year-round sports enthusiast who enjoyed skating, cross-country skiing, cycling, golf, and daily swimming.

Colby enjoyed traveling with his father throughout the U.S. and to such destinations as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, where he owned a condo. In the last months of his father’s life, he became his full-time caregiver, a role he also served for his brother who had suffered a serious car accident at age 17.

Throughout his life, Colby maintained friendships forged on College Hill. He returned to celebrate reunions and served his alma mater as a fundraising volunteer. “He had an abiding faith in God and he loved people and was loved by many,” the obituary noted.

Colby died tragically on July 24, 2020, at the age of 67 after being struck by a car while cycling. He is survived by three siblings.

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