Cover photo for Richard A. Nenneman's Obituary
Richard A. Nenneman Profile Photo
1929 Richard 2007

Richard A. Nenneman

October 13, 1929 — December 27, 2007

Richard Arthur Nenneman, age 78 of Lincoln, and formerly of East Orleans, where he was a member of the town's Finance Committee 1994-1997, and of Weston, where he was a selectman 1973-1974, passed away suddenly on December 27, 2007. He was the husband of Katherine (LaBrunerie).

Born on October 13, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Nenneman was the son of William and Fannie (Peterson) Nenneman.

Raised and educated in Oak Park, Illinois, Mr. Nenneman graduated from Harvard College in 1951, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.�He obtained a Masters Degree in International Affairs in 1953 from Harvard University.�He married Katherine in 1954.

Mr. Nenneman was drafted into the Army in 1953.�After basic training he was accepted into the United States Army's Counter Intelligence Corps.�As newlyweds the Nennemans lived in California for six months while Mr. Nenneman underwent intensive German training at the Monterey Presidio.�In 1955 the couple moved to Frankfurt, where Mr. Nenneman reconnected with his German roots and both he and his wife established an enduring interest in the people and culture of Germany and other countries in Europe.�

The Nennemans returned to the United States in 1957, and Mr. Nenneman began a training program at the Northern Trust Co. in Chicago.�As his banking career progressed, the growing family moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, and then to Phoenix, Arizona.�

In 1965, by which time the Nennemans had three young daughters, Mr. Nenneman became the financial editor of the Christian Science Monitor in Boston.�He held that position until 1974, when he joined the Trust Department of Girard Bank in Philadelphia, where he would eventually become chairman of the investment policy committee.�While he lived in the Philadelphia area, he was on the board of the Barnes Foundation, home to one of the world's largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern paintings.

In 1983 Mr. Nenneman returned to Boston and the Monitor as managing editor.�He was responsible for the news department and became editor in chief in 1988.�He was an instrumental leader in moving the Monitor into both television and radio.

Mr. Nenneman was also an author.�His first book, "How Peace Came to the World," which he co-edited with former Monitor editor Earl Foell, was published in 1986. He also wrote "The New Birth of Christianity: Why Religion Persists in a Scientific Age" (1992) and "Persistent Pilgrim: The Life of Mary Baker Eddy" (1997).�His latest project, completed in December 2007, was editing "In the Nation's Service," a collection of essays from his Harvard College classmates of 1951, chronicling their military and other public service contributions to the United States.

From 1996 to 2001 Mr. Nenneman was involved, as a member of the Executive Service Corps, in pro-bono consulting projects for nonprofit organizations such as the National Braille Press, Nauset Regional Schools, and the Cape Cod Child Development Project.

Mr. Nenneman was an accomplished pianist, with a repertoire extending from Chopin to Gerschwin to Scott Joplin.�He enjoyed music, art, gardening, puzzles, and a wide range of reading which included history, economics, theology, and world literature.�The day of his passing he emailed his brother-in-law that he had so far finished 4,500 pages of Proust.�He loved traveling with his wife.�His most recent trip was to Europe in June of 2007, where he saw friends in Germany, France, and Denmark.

He is survived by his wife, Katherine, and his daughters, Ann Robson (Edwin) and Mary Roberts (Victor), both of Lincoln, and Katherine Wrean (William) of Weston.�He was the grandfather of Mark and Jeremy Robson, Craig and Joshua Roberts, and Katherine, William, and Ashley Wrean.

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