John Orr Theobald ’66

Princeton's lost a friend. We've lost a friend. Theo died of cancer in Phoenix May 1, 2003.

For each of us during those handful of life's events that we got to share with Theo, whether it was baseball, Tiger Inn, as a cheerleader, or on a road trip, he rewarded us with his intelligence, his curiosity, his inventiveness, and, oh, that sense of humor . . .

Theo knew about clams on the beach at the Hotel Del, desert flowers in and around his beloved Phoenix, real estate law, Indian rugs and jewelry, Southwest postmarks — anything and everything. To paraphrase author Howard Gossage, Theo knew more about everything than we knew about anything.

Beyond his curiosity and intelligence, Theo's greatest gift was to show us how full a life can be with a soft, rich sense of humor. Ask yourself — did anyone make you laugh as readily and as comfortably as John? What a smile! What happy, squinty eyes! What a laugh! His humor was never acerbic, never unkind, and ultimately witty, even the slapstick stuff.

God bless you, Jennifer, Laura, Patsy, Ryan, and Christopher. Goodbye, Theo. Thanks again for your friendship and humor; they've rubbed off on all of us. We'll cling to them forever.

The Class of 1966