Obituary: Christopher R. Hidell

Christopher R. Hidell, at 58

Christopher Robinson Hidell, 58, of Hull passed peacefully last Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in Brigham & Women’s Hospital’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute after an arduous three-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

At the time, he was surrounded by his wife of 22 years, Tricia (Marshall) Hidell, daughter Celia Hidell, and parents Patricia (Darling) Meyer of Falmouth, Maine, and Henry “Bob” Robinson Hidell III of Hingham. He is survived by his stepmother, Cynthia (Toth) Hidell of Hingham and was predeceased by his stepfather, John H. Meyer, of Windham, Maine.

A birthright Quaker, Mr. Hidell was born on February 14, 1966 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he remained for the first three and a half years of his life, living in residence with his two parents at Oakwood Friends School. As the family grew to include his two younger brothers – Bennett Hidell of Windham and Brooke Hidell of Casco, Maine – Mr. Hidell and his parents moved to Cohasset, where he came to love spending time on and around the water. Between frequent family trips to visit his four grandparents in Pennsylvania and attending Windham High School in Maine – Class of 1984 – Mr. Hidell had love for many places, but has always felt most at home out on the water that connects them all.

A true Renaissance man, Mr. Hidell’s insatiable curiosity and diverse interests led him to study various disciplines at a number of educational institutions. He ultimately earned an associate’s degree in architectural engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in art from Northeastern University. He was proudest, however, of his sculpture studies at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, and the recent acquisition of his Master 50 GRT Captain’s License after months of after-work night school in his 50s.

Before his more recent entry into the marine industry, Mr. Hidell completed roughly 100 kitchens from Maine to New York under his design/build cabinet shop, Hidell & Co., which he owned and operated for almost 20 years – right up until he received the colorectal cancer diagnosis that ultimately forced him to close the company in 2012. After three long years, 16 surgeries, and medical advice to perhaps not work again, Mr. Hidell beat the cancer and was hired at Steamboat Wharf Marina while walking the premises with the family’s beloved dog, Sadie. There, he served as dockmaster and general jack-of-all-trades before transitioning to work on the water for another branch of the marina, Aquamarine Services, in the job he frequently cited as the most joyous of his life. Most recently, he combined his various skill sets and lifelong interests by ideating and building the marina’s onsite restaurant, Red Sky (now The Drift).

Though Mr. Hidell had not been able to work since his most recent diagnosis, he found great enjoyment in a good cup of coffee, taking the long way home, walking Sadie around the marina, watching his daughter’s college adventures in Los Angeles, and generally spending time with his family in any and every form. Frequently citing his love of being alive, his impossibly positive aura and diplomatic spirit remained with him through his final moments and remains with his family now. In an effort to provide time for his loved ones to connect with one another,

Mr. Hidell requested to have a gathering rather than any formal service, which will be held this Friday, September 13, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at McNamara-Sparrell Funeral Home at 1 Summer St. in Cohasset.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his honor to keep his favorite places alive through The Trustees of Reservations or to Reel Recovery – a volunteer-based organization that introduces cancer survivors to the art of the very fly fishing that granted him peace in his toughest moments. Donations can be made at the following links: The Trustees (https://give.thetrustees.org/give/508795); Reel Recovery (https://www.reelrecovery.org/donate); alternatively, pick up a rod (and let the fish go) in his honor.