Obituary for Robert Chambliss Berson Jr.
Robert Chambliss Berson Jr.
Psychologist, lover of justice
Robert (Bob) Chambliss Berson Jr., 79, died peacefully, surrounded by his family at his Litchfield, CT, home on Thursday, September 29, 2022 after a 2-year ordeal of treatment for bile duct cancer. Bob was born on July 6, 1943 in Rye, NY. His family moved frequently during his childhood, but he used to say he did “most of his growing up” in Birmingham, Alabama, site of the bus boycott that ended segregation on public transportation.
As a political science major at Duke University, and member of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Bob successfully supported the formation of a union for the non-academic employees at the college. He attended the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge Massachusetts, where he turned in his draft card to protest the Vietnam war. When he was punitively drafted, he refused induction and successfully fought this injustice all the way to the Supreme Court. His tenacity for justice was a theme throughout his life and he regularly looked for ways to make the world and his community a better place.
After a series of jobs as a baker, librarian, teacher, and database tech, Bob attended Antioch New England where he received a masters and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He married Barbara Putnam in 1981, and they had Emma Berson Putnam in 1984. For over 20 years, he specialized in child and adolescent psychology, serving area young people and families. For over 30 years he sought to end interpersonal violence as a member of the board of the Susan B. Anthony Project in Torrington, which supports the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. He also served on the Litchfield Democratic Town Committee, the Litchfield Prevention Council, and the Litchfield Citizens Emergency Response Team, worked for the Litchfield Housing Trust, and was a Justice of the Peace. In his last months, he had the joy of officiating his daughter’s wedding to her long-time love, Jesse Rizutko.
Bob’s greatest adventure, however, was as father to his daughter, Emma, and as uncle to his nieces and nephews. He had a wry sense of humor and found supreme joy in making his loved ones (especially the love of his life, Barbara) laugh. A homebody at heart, he loved to welcome people into his home to feed them delicious food. He also had a significant soft spot for dogs, owning several throughout his life, and doting upon what he called his “grand-dog,” Nelly Putnam Rizutko. Bob frequently commented how fortunate he was to love the people he loved, and live the life he lived, calling himself “Lucky Fortuna” when he felt particularly fortunate.
In addition to his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Bob is survived by his brothers-in-law Brock (Marina Razhova) Putnam and John Gerry (Ellen Feldman) Putnam, nieces Heather Margaret Farlow and Francesca Gunn (Graham Gunn), nephews William Robert Farlow and Matthew Bryon (Chloe Hornberger) Farlow, Benjamin Putnam, Anton Razhov and Manny Cruz, and great-niece Alexa Razhova Cruz, as well as cousins, friends, and colleagues. He was predeceased by his parents, Marian Agry Berson and Robert Chambliss Berson Sr., his sister, Betsey Berson Farlow, and his niece, Anna Razhova Cruz, as well as his many beloved dogs throughout the years.
A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11am at St. Michael’s Church with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests tribute donations to be made to the Susan B. Anthony Project (sbaproject.org).
Psychologist, lover of justice
Robert (Bob) Chambliss Berson Jr., 79, died peacefully, surrounded by his family at his Litchfield, CT, home on Thursday, September 29, 2022 after a 2-year ordeal of treatment for bile duct cancer. Bob was born on July 6, 1943 in Rye, NY. His family moved frequently during his childhood, but he used to say he did “most of his growing up” in Birmingham, Alabama, site of the bus boycott that ended segregation on public transportation.
As a political science major at Duke University, and member of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Bob successfully supported the formation of a union for the non-academic employees at the college. He attended the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge Massachusetts, where he turned in his draft card to protest the Vietnam war. When he was punitively drafted, he refused induction and successfully fought this injustice all the way to the Supreme Court. His tenacity for justice was a theme throughout his life and he regularly looked for ways to make the world and his community a better place.
After a series of jobs as a baker, librarian, teacher, and database tech, Bob attended Antioch New England where he received a masters and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He married Barbara Putnam in 1981, and they had Emma Berson Putnam in 1984. For over 20 years, he specialized in child and adolescent psychology, serving area young people and families. For over 30 years he sought to end interpersonal violence as a member of the board of the Susan B. Anthony Project in Torrington, which supports the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. He also served on the Litchfield Democratic Town Committee, the Litchfield Prevention Council, and the Litchfield Citizens Emergency Response Team, worked for the Litchfield Housing Trust, and was a Justice of the Peace. In his last months, he had the joy of officiating his daughter’s wedding to her long-time love, Jesse Rizutko.
Bob’s greatest adventure, however, was as father to his daughter, Emma, and as uncle to his nieces and nephews. He had a wry sense of humor and found supreme joy in making his loved ones (especially the love of his life, Barbara) laugh. A homebody at heart, he loved to welcome people into his home to feed them delicious food. He also had a significant soft spot for dogs, owning several throughout his life, and doting upon what he called his “grand-dog,” Nelly Putnam Rizutko. Bob frequently commented how fortunate he was to love the people he loved, and live the life he lived, calling himself “Lucky Fortuna” when he felt particularly fortunate.
In addition to his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Bob is survived by his brothers-in-law Brock (Marina Razhova) Putnam and John Gerry (Ellen Feldman) Putnam, nieces Heather Margaret Farlow and Francesca Gunn (Graham Gunn), nephews William Robert Farlow and Matthew Bryon (Chloe Hornberger) Farlow, Benjamin Putnam, Anton Razhov and Manny Cruz, and great-niece Alexa Razhova Cruz, as well as cousins, friends, and colleagues. He was predeceased by his parents, Marian Agry Berson and Robert Chambliss Berson Sr., his sister, Betsey Berson Farlow, and his niece, Anna Razhova Cruz, as well as his many beloved dogs throughout the years.
A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11am at St. Michael’s Church with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests tribute donations to be made to the Susan B. Anthony Project (sbaproject.org).