J. Robert “Bob” Carrier passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on February 13, 2014. For 63 years he was the beloved husband and best friend of Barbara Ann (Correia) Carrier.
Born in New Bedford in 1928 to the late Antonio and Julia Carrier, Bob had resided in Mattapoisett since 1958. He was a World War II veteran serving on the battleship U.S.S. Iowa. He was a member of the U.S.S.Iowa Veterans Association which is engaged in preserving the battleship.
When Bob was fourteen years old, he flung and hit a thirteen year old girl with a snowball. That girl, Barbara Correia, was to become the love of his life for over seventy years.
While in high school, Bob began his life long romance with food and fine dining by working in several local establishments including the Wamsutta Club, The New Bedford Hotel, The Shining Tides and The Holiday House. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Food Management in 1958. That same year in partnership with John Mott and Ray Anderson, Bob purchased the Harbor Beach Lodge on Aucoot Road in Mattapoisett.
Bob, John and Ray transformed the Harbor Beach into an upscale private club of which hundreds of locals were proud to be members. The club featured fine dining, dancing and entertainment. Former club members still fondly recall the Beaux and Belles singing waiters and waitresses, Bud Lilley’s Fine Orchestra, featured pianist Doc Harvey, panoramic ocean views and of course the delicious food including Harbor Beach’s famous Baked Stuffed Shrimp. Club members were treated to special events such as The New Year’s Day Buffet complete with the Bourbon Street Parader’s Dixieland Jazz, Cape Cod Canal Cruises, fishing trips, New Hampshire Ski Trips and special parties and events throughout the year. In 1972, the club opened its doors to the general public for fine dining and dancing. Most of all the Harbor Beach Club is remembered for its tasteful elegance. Valets parked cars for patrons dressed in evening wear. Women wore evening gowns and furs while the men were decked out in sports jackets and ties. And of course the hallmark of it all was Harbor Beach’s magnificent Bill of Fare.
In a Standard times article written in 1978, Bob said “For thirty five years, it’s been food all the way.” Bob seldom worked from recipes but invented his own or traded secrets with the finest chefs in New England. He was never flustered by the high pressure of a full house. Bob remarked then: “You can’t be nervous. You have to have the kind of personality that keeps cool, that doesn’t disrupt the night’s flow.”
Bob sold the Harbor Beach Club in 1978, and began Bob Carrier’s Fine Catering. Bob was particularly honored with catering jobs that took him to the Newport mansions, the America’s Cup Races and many unique locations. He took great pride in his craft, working with every client to create a menu exclusively designed for their guests and event.
Bob also had a great love of the sea and spent many happy hours on his boat enjoying a good cigar. He loved Mattapoisett and believed in giving back to his community. He will be deeply missed.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara, his daughters, Cathy A. Bowers and her husband Robert Bowers and son Jayme Wood of Mattapoisett, Pamela A. Carrier of Mattapoisett, and Jennifer A. Carrier and her husband Charles Gross and daughter Amanda A. Gross of New Bedford.
His Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday March 8, 2014 at 11 AM at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Church Street Station P.O. Box 780, New York, NY 10008.