Robert W. Dunn

Rye Beach, NH - Robert William Dunn (Bob), ski industry veteran, passed away peacefully at home in Rye Beach, NH, surrounded by his family on April 18, 2023 at the age of 95. Bob was “the sweetheart of 1928,” born in Malden, Massachusetts on February 14th. A devoted and much-loved husband and father, Bob served two terms in the Army Air Corps (at the end of WW II, and then re-enlisting for the Korean conflict). Following his service, he enrolled at Boston University and earned an MA in Education and Counseling, putting himself through school as the owner and operator of the Dairy Whiz, an ice cream stand in Malden which served, as Bob would say, “the best soft serve there is”. He soon married the love of his life, Marion O'Connor, also of Malden. In his childhood, he and his friends walked miles with their hickory skis to “learn to turn” at local Mt Hood in Medford, Massachusetts. Later, the North Station Snow Train would take him from Boston many a weekend to join buddies for a day of skiing at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway. At BU, he was a star skier on the ski team. Bob taught school briefly, but soon followed his love of skiing and made that his lifetime career. He started in the ski business as the manager of Boston Hill Ski Area in North Andover, Massachusetts, which he eventually owned, expanded and operated for over 40 years. Boston Hill was one of the very first ski areas in the world to make snow, and for over four decades Bob continued to try out new technologies and activities on the ski slopes. He was among the earliest to be certified as a Professional Ski Instructor of America and maintained that certification for over 50 years. Boston Hill was a busy bump, hosting busloads of Boston area children and adults during the 1960 and ‘70s to attend the “Bob Dunn Ski School” learn-to-ski lesson programs. Thousands learned to ski from his multiple ski schools throughout New England. In the ‘60’s, with the sponsorship of the Boston Globe, he launched both pre-season and on-the-snow ski clinics to entice young and old to take up the sport and hit the slopes. In addition, Bob wrote seasonal articles and a regular ‘Ask the Expert’ ski column for the Globe. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Bob looked for new innovations to make ski areas a year-round outdoor recreation site with warm-weather activities like Frisbee golf, brush (Dendix) skiing all year round, and the Alpine Slide. The success of the Alpine Slide in North Andover led him to install one on Snow King Mountain in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which still remains a popular summer attraction. Among his many skills as an area operator, working with Hall chairlift company he coordinated and installed the First Rafferty Chair lift on Snow King Mountain in Jackson as well. Later in his career, Bob became director of skiing at Bretton Woods and continued to work with the Boston Globe conducting ski clinics and amateur fun ski races throughout New England. He truly and actively spread his love of skiing to thousands. Most of all, Bob was a devoted husband to Marion, his wife of 67 years, and father to his “3 girls,” Carol, Marianne, and Lisa. Family life was always an amazing adventure, whether skiing or enjoying ice cream sundaes at the Dairy Whiz. Bob was an active member of the Rye Beach, NH, community for over 60 years. He was one of the first Jenness Beach surfers circa 1965, and organized volleyball games and beach cleanups over the years. For many years he contributed articles to Rye Reflections, a local online publication in the NH seacoast. Bob loved people and was a consummate storyteller, sharing many tales of his lifetime full of adventures with those he encountered. He approached life with an attitude of ‘I can do that’ and shared his humor, experience and tales with many. He is survived by his wife Marion and his daughters Carol Dunn of Bristol, NH, and her husband Ken Chorney, Marianne Dunn of York, ME, and Elisabeth (Lisa) Dunn of Waltham, MA; and by his grandsons David Chorney of Concord, NH, and Matthew Chorney of Jackson, WY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Y.E.S (Youth Enrichment Services) Operation SnowSports at https://yeskids.org/ or to the Amedisys Foundation at https://www.amedisys.com/about/foundation. Visiting hours will be from 2 to 4 PM on Sunday, April 23, 2023 in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home – Crematory, Hampton, NH. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM on Monday at St.Theresa Church, 815 Central Rd., Rye Beach, NH. Burial will be private. The Mass will be livestreamed at http://www.sainttheresachurchrye.org/live-stream/

Robert W. Dunn

February 14, 1928 - April 18, 2023