Robert Charles Babson

Nov 10, 1944 -

Apr 13, 2020

After a long illness, Bob Babson died on Monday, April 13, 2020, at home with his family beside him.

Bob was born on Nov. 10, 1944, in San Francisco, Calif. He spent his childhood living in many different communities around the country, which gave him a lifelong love of seeing the world. After the death of his mother, he assumed the care of his beloved brother, Doug, while putting himself through college. He also served in the Army.

Bob went to law school because he wanted to work toward the protection of the environment. He spent his career ensuring that federal laws protecting the environment were upheld without fear or favor. He worked for the U.S. Department of Interior in Anchorage for 8 years, and then for NOAA General Counsel in Juneau, Alaska, from 1987 until his retirement in 2008.

Bob was a man of his word, generous to others, smart, funny, and deeply interested in the questions of life and what it meant to be alive. He had an abiding passion for the written word and thought of his life's calling as a commitment to the use of the written word. He loved music, films, poetry and art, and had a real weakness for well-made furniture. He loved Juneau for its beauty and its strong sense of community. He loved his wife of 37 years, Cindy, and believed the life they led together to have been blessed.

Bob is survived by his wife, Cindy Smith; by his brother and sister-in-law, Doug Babson and Freeda Lapos Babson; and by his many friends. We will all miss him.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Hospice and Home Care of Juneau, whose compassionate staff provided him and his family every support in his final weeks.