This Book of Memories memorial website is designed to be a permanent tribute paying tribute to the life and memory of Theodore Tarson. It allows family and friends a place to re-visit, interact with each other, share and enhance this tribute for future generations. We are both pleased and proud to provide the Book of Memories to the families of our community.

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Obituary for Theodore L. Tarson

Theodore (“Ted”) Tarson, 92, Nyack, New York, died on Thursday, September 10, 2020, after a short illness at Nyack Hospital. Ted was born and grew up in Washington Heights in New York City. Both his parents immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe and encouraged his reaching a high degree of education, and Ted received his baccalaureate degree from Yale, his master’s degree from Columbia, and a Ph.D in American Studies from Yale. He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving in Europe and acted on stage with the 7th Army Repertory.
His love of performing on stage began in high school and continued at all the universities he attended. He performed in numerous Gilbert and Sullivan operettas with the Village Light Opera Group in Manhattan – usually playing the character with a patter song. He met his future wife, Frances (“Franci”) Pepper Tarson, cementing their mutual love of theatre and each other, at Yale Dramatic Association (“Dramat”). While at Yale, he originated the role of Junius Booth in a musical called “Booth Is Back In Town” written by Austin Pendleton (later revised and converted into the published off-Broadway play, “Booth”).
After he received his doctorate, Ted worked for IBM in Westchester County for over 20 years. Ted and Franci moved to Nyack in 1965 with their two sons, Derek and Geoffrey, and both Franci and Ted lived in Nyack for the rest of their lives. Ted was a member of MENSA, an avid tennis player, and won many bridge tournaments. He loved books—often to a fault—and purchased many boxes of books and LPs at library book sales for decades. In Nyack, Ted was active at Elmwood Playhouse, having performed in 25 shows there (close to a record) including most notably, Billy Flynn in Chicago, James Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Saunders in Lend Me A Tenor, and Judge Danforth in The Crucible.
Ted’s sense of humor, sharp intellectual curiosity, and perpetual twinkle will be missed by many in the community. He is survived by his sons, Derek and Geoffrey, his daughter-in-law, Holly, and his grandson, Peter. No memorial service is scheduled at this time, and the family hopes to have a Celebration of Life in the future when things are safe. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Ted may be made to Elmwood Playhouse (www.elmwoodplayhouse.com).
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