Rex Porter Schirmer

Integrity, humor, kindness, and an open heart defined the way Rex Porter Schirmer lived and how he treated everyone who was part of his life.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School, Rex was never defined by his resume. He spoke far more about his relationships with people he met there and the experiences he shared with them than about the institutions themselves.

He was mentor to people who worked for him during his tenure at Norton International Company as he led multiple departments to success. He earned the respect and affection of the people who worked for him as well as the people he worked for.

While at Norton, Rex also served as treasurer of his father’s company, the E. C. Schirmer Music Company.

His desire to open his heart to others, and his hope that they might open theirs in return, led him to counsel individuals incarcerated at a local prison. He also volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Through this organization, he could fulfill his desire to connect with and help others outside his immediate family, and he mentored one young boy through serious life challenges.

Born in Hull, MA, in 1931 he was the son of the late Ernest C. and Ethel Mary (Woodman) Schirmer. Rex grew up in Waban, MA, where he met his first wife Gertrude Theophile, the girl next door. Together they spent 20 years raising a family in Framingham, MA. Those years formed an important chapter in his life and gave him the family relationships that remained central to him throughout it.

In the next chapter of his life Rex met Nancy Olson. Together they created a home on a lake surrounded by nature in Harvard, MA. It included a turtle who laid her eggs in the front yard. It was a place that reflected and embodied the life they wanted to share. It was here that they explored their spiritual lives, wherever that might lead them. They shared a desire to understand themselves and their place in the world more deeply.

They spent 44 deeply fulfilling years in Harvard, creating a life that included many friends and the family and finding joy in the natural environment in which they lived. Their life together included quiet time outdoors, canoeing on the pond and generally enjoying the beauty of the place.

Rex had always loved climbing the White Mountains, first with his family and later with Nancy. Their love of nature led them to the National Parks and finally to their beloved Maui, where they spent most winters after Rex retired. Idyllic days, wonderful friends. They also traveled to Europe often, especially to its natural beauties.

Rex was a contemplative, reading and reflecting on Christ, love, and true self. This led him into the Shanti Christo Foundation as publisher of a best-selling spiritual work called The Way of Mastery. To Rex, this was the most fulfilling work of his life.

And singing! Who could think of Rex without smiling and remembering him singing? He was happy and expressed it. Walking down Strand Circle, coming into the Event Center at Covenant, he greeted all with a song.

He and Nancy made their final home at Covenant Living of Cromwell. Leaving their home in Harvard, with its pond, woods, and connection to nature, marked a significant transition. At Covenant, they found a different kind of home—one shaped less by the surroundings and more by the ease of community life and the community of caring and kindly people.

Rex Porter Schirmer, 95, of Cromwell, husband of Nancy (Olson) Schirmer, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 13, 2026. His was a life lived well.

Rex is survived by his wife, Nancy (Olson) Schirmer; his sons, Dwight Schirmer and his wife, Susan, and David Schirmer and his husband, Renato Bernardi, all of Massachusetts; his daughter, Carol Schirmer of Oregon; his granddaughter, Jennifer Goncher, and her husband, Cole; his great-granddaughter, Chloe; and his sister, June (Schirmer) Buck. He was predeceased by his first wife, Gertrude (Theophile) Schirmer, and his brother, Duke Schirmer.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 2 PM at Covenant Living of Cromwell Event Center, 101 West St., Cromwell. Burial will be held privately in Fairview Cemetery. Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rex’s name to the Benevolent Care Fund of Covenant Living of Cromwell.