Corinna Roosevelt Reeve Waud 1943-2026

Corinna “Coco” Roosevelt Reeve Waud died peacefully on August 10, 2026, surrounded by her family. She was 83. To the many who loved her, she was unmistakable – a woman of extraordinary energy, presence, grace, style, and strong opinion. Our beloved Coco was born on July 23,1943, to Lawrence Lowell Reeve and Eleanor Swift Reeve of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. She was a descendant of the Lowell, Roosevelt, and Swift families. She was educated at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where she trained an artist’s eye that never left her – evident in her extraordinary and eclectic style. 

Her years traced the two coasts she loved best: the North Shore of Boston, where she and her husband, Cornelius “Ronnie” Waud, made their home in Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Boca Grande, Florida. In both places she was a devoted friend to many, drawn from every period of her life. She spent most of her adult life in Lake Forest, Illinois, while Ronnie helped build his family’s business, Illinois Tool Works. They ultimately returned to Manchester, where she had grown up, and lived on the ocean. She was first and foremost devoted to her family. She would spend afternoons sailing in Maine at the family house, Deep Cove, with her children and grandchildren, talking of the tea and popovers that awaited them upon their return – or gathering everyone for Sunday lunch on the lawn overlooking the ocean under a tree, just as her great-grandparents had done over 125 years before. Early most mornings she took a swim in the ocean, and she had a true love of nature – a long gaze across the cove to watch the eagles, a helping hand for a grandchild stepping out of a dinghy for a beach picnic. She had a deep love of life and beauty and delighted in sharing both with others. Coco and Ronnie organized countless trips around the world for their family. Everyone remembers her swooping across the plains of Africa in a biplane, goggles on, scarf trailing behind her. Everywhere she went became an adventure, and she inspired awe with her incredible spirit. 

She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Ronnie; her son, Reeve, and his wife, Melissa, grandchildren, Cecily and Reeve Jr. (Caro), and great-grandchildren, Charlotte and Delphine; her daughter, Eleanor “Ellie,” her husband, Glenn “Tim,” grandchildren, Lowell, Corinna, and Cornelia (Jacob), and great-granddaughter, Sparrow. A private memorial service will be held at Emmanuel Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Corinna Roosevelt Reeve Waud 

July 23, 1943 – August 10, 2026