John Randolph Robie, 88, of Hampstead, NH died peacefully on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House surrounded by his wife Elinor and loving family. He was born in O’Hara Township, Allegheny County, PA on May 10, 1922, one of six children of the late George R. and Blanche (Hilliard) Robie. He was a resident of Hampstead, NH for 6 years, formerly living in Bradford, NH for 18 years. Prior to that, he resided in Wilton, CT for 34 years. John graduated from Aspinwall High School, PA. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Oklahoma in 1949 where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He served in the US Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific, assigned to a mapping division that took him to Saipan and Nagasaki. He married Elinor (Yepsen) Robie on September 8, 1951. John spent his career in architecture, spanning a variety of projects that included the Robert Goddard Library at Clark University, Worcester, MA; the Windows on the World, a complex of venues at the top floors of the World Trade Center’s North Tower in New York City; and the Haworth Water Treatment Plant in Haworth, New Jersey. He worked for a number of firms and architects including Sherwood, Mills & Smith; Warren Platner Associates Architects; John M. Johansen; Schofield Colgan (now Colgan Perry Lawler Aurell Architects); and Eliot Noyes and Associates.
John enjoyed small boat sailing and windsurfing, rock gardening, playing the piano and listening to music, skiing, astronomy, hiking, chess, bird watching trips, tree identification, photography, vacationing at his wife Elinor’s family camp in the Adirondacks and spending time with his family. He was a member emeritus of the American Institute of Architecture (AIA); the National Audubon Society and the New Hampshire Audubon Society (Concord); the North American Rock Garden Society; the Bradford (NH) Conservation Committee; the Hampstead Congregational Church and the NH Kearsarge Unitarian Universalists Fellowship. He also taught chess to high school and middle school children in the Kearsarge, NH school district. He and Elinor loved to travel to identify different species of birds and especially enjoyed the U.S. National Parks.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Elinor (Yepsen) Robie, of Hampstead; two sons, David R. and his wife Penny Anderson of Falls Church, VA, and Bradford H. and his wife Carol of Sandown, NH; a sister, Peggy Claire of Palmyra, NY; five grandchildren, Travis Robie, engaged to Tasha Clemmer; Lila Boland and her husband Michael; Katherine H. Robie, Jennifer C. Robie and Dana E. Robie; two great grandchildren, Hazel and Corbin Boland; and 31 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by sisters Marcia Marlier and Mary Jenkins, as well as brothers Fred and George Robie.
There are no calling hours. Following cremation, a memorial service was held on Saturday February 12, 2011 at 11:00am at the Hampstead Congregational Church, 61 Main Street in Hampstead, NH. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John’s memory to the Hampstead Congregational Church, P.O. Box 158, Hampstead, NH 0384; the New Hampshire Audubon Society (www.nhaudubon.org); or Veterans for Peace (www.veteransforpeace.org).