Robert Clancy

The Clancy family is deeply saddened to share the passing of our dear family member Robert Clancy on Sunday, October 1st in New York, New York. Robert was a treasured uncle to numerous nieces and nephews, a beloved brother, and an award winning teacher.

Robert Clancy graduated from Olyphant High School and then attended the University of Scranton, earning a degree in English and Latin in 1957. Following graduation, he moved to New York City, and became a lifetime New Yorker. After moving to New York City, Robert worked for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, and the New York Times. In 1968 he began teaching English and Latin at Ardsley High School in Westchester County. While teaching at Ardsley, Robert attended Fordham University earning a Master’s Degree in Education in 1971.

Robert lived in several places in Manhattan before settling into an apartment on the Upper East Side. In 1980, Robert was accepted into a Master’s program at Harvard University, becoming a student once again. Robert attended classes on weekends in Cambridge, and he eventually earned a Master’s degree in English from Harvard in 1982. His thesis explored the writings of Vladimir Nabokov. Robert retired from teaching at Ardsley High School in 1999, and then taught Latin part time in Teaneck, New Jersey.

In 2001 he purchased a co-op where he enjoyed living for the rest of his life. While teaching at Ardsley High School, he was admired by his students for his zeal for teaching English and Latin. He would frequently chaperone visits by his students to museums in New York City as he felt that an education in the Arts was as important as an education in English. Robert was honored by Cornell University by its Presidential Merit Scholars, which consisted of students in the top five percent of their class. Robert was recognized as a 1999 Merrill Scholar, and this award was established to “recognize the singular influence of inspired teaching and the enduring bonds that are often forged between the teachers and those they have taught.”

An itinerant traveler, Robert frequently visited Europe in the summer when he was not teaching. Robert became an expert tour guide for his friends and family whenever they visited London with him. In 1974 Robert visited the Soviet Union, thoroughly enjoying that trip. He also enjoyed traveling in Ireland, and his proud Irish heritage fueled his engaging personality and his Catholic faith throughout his life.

Robert is survived by sixteen nieces and nephews. Robert was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret (Sweeney) Clancy, and two special aunts and uncles Joseph J. and Beatrice (Clancy) Hastings, and Lawrence and Mae (Clancy) Moran. Robert was also preceded in death by his five brothers, James (Rosemary) Clancy, John (Dorothy) Clancy, Joseph (Kathryn) Clancy, William (Astrid) Clancy, and Patrick (Patricia) Clancy, as well as his only sister, Ann (Michael) Clancy Kratochwill.

Funeral services and burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.