Died October 25, 2015,Wakefield, Rhode Island
College: Pierson
Widow: Whitney Cummer
283 Kenyon Avenue
Wakefield, RI 02879
401-789-3972
whitpc@cox.net
Children: Charles; Samuel; Clementine
Will Cummer, of Wakefield, passed peacefully away at home, on October 25 , 2015, with his family at his bedside. He was born in Jacksonville , FL, a son of the late Wellington Willson Cummer and Caroline Stevens Cummer . Will died of cancer at age 76.
Will received his BA from Yale University and his PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania , studying at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens
Between his undergraduate and graduate programs, he was a Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. In graduate school he met and married Sarah Boll Cummer. They had two children together. He was a Fellow of the America n Academy in Rome, and a Director of the American Research Institute in Turkey. As a Professor at Cornell University and the Rhode Island School of Design, he taught Classical and Near Eastern Art and Architecture . He worked on Archaeological excavations in Greece, Italy and Turkey (including being a diver/excavator on a Roman shipwreck). In Rome he ran a course, “Illustrating Archaeology” , teaching how to survey and draw Archaeological sites, where he met his wife, Whitney , a fellow teacher.
He was interested in everYthing and did it all with great enthusiasm. A boat-builder and sailor, he restored his beloved 1936 Concordia sloop “Cinderella” back to her former glory , as well as building prams, skiffs and even a colonial punt for Smith’s Castle. He created a magnificent garden with ponds, waterfalls , a march, a birch grove , and every imaginable shrub , tree and flower. He loved kayaking, hiking in the Adirondacks , Bluegrass music, building theater sets, soccer (both as his children’s coach and as a diehard “Barcelona” fan) , and volunteering – for Meals on Wheels , Welcome House, URI Watershed Watch, Hospice Care of RI, and the, South Kingstown Land Trust. Will was a Trustee with his sister Cheryl, of the Cummer Family Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida. When he wasn’t volunteering, or helping his family and multitude of friends , he was on Narragansett Bay or in his garden . He passed on to all his family and friend show to live with joy , friendliness and humor, and to face illness with courage.
He is survived by his loving family – his wife Whitney (Powell), his son Willson Cummer and daughter-in-law Michelle Breidenbach, his daughter Clementine Douglas Cummer , his son Samuel Ross Cummer , and his sister Cheryl Stevens Cummer and brother-in-law Jack Lyle. He also leaves his beloved grandchildren Magdalena Cummer Nacco, and Giuliana Cummer Nacco. He will be much missed by his sisters and brother- in-law, Deborah Abbott and Ross and Kate Powell, nieces Ada Cummer Chamberlain, Whitney Eno, and Kate and Jon Nazemi, and grandnieces Kate Chamberlain , Chloe and Maeve Nazemi, and grandnephew Ciaran Chamberlain.
A Memorial service will be held on May 14, 2016 at 2:00pm , at the South Kingstown Land Trust Barn, 17 Matunuck Beach Road, Matunuck, RI. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers , contributions can be made to Welcome House, 8 North Road, or the South Kingstown Land Trust, 227Robinson Street, both in Wakefield, RI 02879. For guest book and condolences , averystort ifuneral home.com.