The Mass of Christian Burial for Robert F. Comstock on April 9 at the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was held at a place and near a place that both meant a great deal to the noted Washington attorney, banking official and philanthropist.

Comstock, who was 85, died on March 17. He had served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Shrine and the neighboring Catholic University of America, and in 2016 he was presented with the Patronal Medal, a joint award recognizing his service to both institutions.

“‘He was a great man’ could be the epitaph on Bob’s tombstone,” said Msgr. Walter Rossi, the basilica’s rector, in his homily at the Mass. 

The priest noted Comstock’s steadfast support for Catholic Charities; his alma mater, Catholic University; the National Shrine; and the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, all in Washington, D.C.

Msgr. Rossi noted that “Bob was a friend to all, especially to those in need, and he never turned his back on anyone.”

Eight priests concelebrated the Mass in the Crypt Church, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop emeritus of Washington, offered the prayer of commendation. Bishop Paul S. Loverde, the bishop emeritus of Arlington, was also present at the Mass.

The National Shrine’s rector noted that Comstock in his later years said, “I always tried to do what’s right. I always tried to live a good life.”

A member of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Washington, in 2019 Comstock was named as a Knight of Saint Gregory the Great for his service to the Catholic Church.

Comstock, a native of Lincoln, Illinois, attended Catholic University on a scholarship and starred in basketball, baseball and track there. After graduation, he served as an Air Force officer in Japan before returning to Catholic University and attending law school there. He was recalled by the Air Force to serve as an F-104 Starfighter pilot during the Berlin crisis.

After law school, Comstock began a distinguished career in banking and law, and was a partner in the law firm of Comstock & Reilly, L.L.P. in Washington. Over the years, Comstock was an organizer and chairman of the board of First Continental Bank of Maryland, served as director and chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Federal Savings and Loan Association, and in that position at Baltimore Bancorp and Bank of Baltimore and as the chairman and CEO of the National Capital Bank of Washington.

Comstock also served as the head track and cross country coach at Catholic University, volunteered with the Catholic Youth Organization, and was the founding meet director for the National Invitational Indoor Track Meet, which drew top national and international athletes and was featured on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. He also led the U.S. Track and Field team to international competitions and directed the 1976 USA-USSR Track and Field Dual Meet.

In 2017, the new conference room at the Saint John Paul II Seminary of the Archdiocese of Washington was named in Comstock’s honor in gratitude for his generous support. That room is used for formation talks for seminarians and for convocations, days of reflection and other large spiritual or educational gatherings for the archdiocese’s priests. In an interview then, Comstock noted that up to that point, he had served every resident archbishop of Washington, beginning with Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle, who led the archdiocese from 1948 to 1973. “I knew all of them, and they all knew me,” he said.

In a statement emailed to the Catholic Standard, Cardinal Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington from 2006 to 2018, said, “I knew Bob Comstock for more than 50 years and had come to appreciate him as a person of integrity, commitment, generosity and service of others.”

Father Carter Griffin, the rector of the Saint John Paul II Seminary, said in an email that Comstock was a good friend of the seminary and “a generous and kind man, a gentle soul who touched many individuals in small and hidden ways.”

In a statement, Stephen Payne, the dean of  Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, noted that Comstock “served our university on the playing fields and in the law school classroom and later as a devoted trustee for 27 years. His life was characterized by a spirit of service, not only to the university he loved, but also to the greater D.C. community, in which he established deep roots. We also revere Bob’s memory for his loyal service to the Church and for wearing our country’s uniform in times of crisis. May he rest in God’s peace.”

Comstock also chaired the archdiocese’s Forward in Faith capital campaign.

Before Comstock’s Mass of Christian Burial, some people there spoke to the Catholic Standard about his service to the Catholic Church.

“He (Comstock) was just such a kind man, a kind and generous man… He was one of those people, you could look in his eyes, and see he was a good man, a faithful man,” said Michael Kelly, who served as an advisor to Cardinal Wuerl. 

Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity and the former president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, served on archdiocesan committees and on the basilica’s board with Comstock.

“He was one of the finest Catholics I have ever known,” Sister Carol said. She added, “People will never know how much he did for this archdiocese and the many works of charity in this archdiocese.”

Comstock’s Catholic faith was the essence of his life, she said, adding, “He was the real deal.”

Robert Comstock is survived by his wife, Jean Joyce Comstock, and by their five children and families: James and Kathleen Joyce; Michael and Deborah Joyce; Kelly and Larry Devine; Jennifer Jean Comstock; and Margaret and Alex Watkins. He is also survived by his sister Barbara Comstock Nalepka; and by his grandchildren Michael Joyce Jr., Carl Joyce, Brian Joyce (Magalys), Mary Jean Joyce (Kyle), Kevin Joyce, Caitlin Joyce, Mary Alice Perry, James Joyce, Patrick Joyce, Robert Watkins, James Watkins and William Watkins, and three great-grandchildren.

Concluding his homily at the Mass, Msgr. Rossi noted the basilica’s Trinity Dome includes a window named for Comstock. Beneath the window, which depicts the Lamb of God, are mosaic tiles with the words, “Please pray for Bob and Jean Comstock.”

“Pray is what we do today,” Msgr. Rossi said of the basilica’s benefactor and friend.