Richard K Winslow

Richard Kenelm Winslow, 99, of Antrim, NH, died Monday afternoon, July 24, 2017, in the
comfort of his own home, surrounded by the love of his family, following a period of declining
health.

He was born in Indianapolis, IN, on March 15, 1918 to Ralph and Anna Winslow. He grew up in
Albany, NY and attended the Albany Academy. In 1936, he entered Wesleyan University in
Middletown, CT, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1940. In 1942 he enlisted in
the U.S. Navy, where he served for 3 years in a mine disposal unit. Following his honorable
discharge in 1945, he enrolled at The Juilliard School, earning an MA in music composition.
In 1942 he married Elisabeth Gittins, in a ceremony in Beaver, PA. They had 5 children and
celebrated 62 years of marriage before she passed on in 2004.

In 1949, Wesleyan University called him back to campus, this time to teach in the Music
Department where he remained on the faculty for 34 years until his retirement in 1983. Upon
his retirement, he moved from Middletown, CT, to their summer ancestral home at Alabama
Farm in Antrim, where he had spent his early years growing up. There he remained for the
following 34 years, actively continuing his involvement with the arts as a member of the
Peterborough Players Board and serving as an early founding member and then Editor of the
Antrim Limrik.

He was a writer, composer, scholar, conductor, teacher and an inspiration for many of the
students he mentored over the years during his tenure at Wesleyan. He was a prolific
composer of exceptional breadth, depth, and originality - composing operas including
Gertrude Stein's Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights, T.S. Eliot's Sweeney Agonistes, and Samuel
Beckett's Endgame. He also composed the musicals Alice and Her Father The King, along with
numerous choral works and songs. He had an intellectual curiosity and boundless enthusiasm
for exploration in the worlds of music and ideas, along with a sharp wit and a love of jokes, and he advocated for and oversaw the establishment of Wesleyan's pioneering program in world music. He provided guidance for many students with a remarkable capacity to engage with them in
their own explorations. He maintained strong connections and continued correspondence
with many students, colleagues, and friends for over 50 years.

He is survived by his children: Richard K. Winslow, Jr. and his wife Andrea of Arlington, MA.,
John A. Winslow and his wife Emily Bailey of Cambridge, MA., Susan W. Bedell and her
husband Paul of Richmond, VA, Sandra W. Sherwood of Cambridge, MA and Laurence G.
Winslow and his fiancée Jena Skinner of Kingston Springs, TN; 12 grandchildren; 16 great
grandchildren; a brother Edward Winslow of Stamford, CT., as well as many nieces and
nephews. He was predeceased by his brother: Allen Winslow.

A memorial service, celebrating the life of Mr. Winslow, will be held at 2:00 pm, on Sunday, Oct. 1,
2017, at the Antrim Baptist Church, 85 Main St, Antrim, NH 03440. There are no
public calling hours. Burial will take place in a private ceremony at the Maple Wood
Cemetery in Antrim.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made, in Richard K. Winslow’s name, to: The
Grapevine, PO Box 637, Antrim, NH 03440 or online at (www.grapevinenh.org), or to the
Peterborough Players, P.O. Box 118, 55 Hadley Road, Peterborough, NH 03458.