Robert Doane October 7, 2024

Robert H. Doane died August 9, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Deane, his son, Jesse Doane, his stepdaughter, Amy (William) Piacitelli, several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, two honorary grandchildren, Selena and Finlay Gardiner, many good friends, and his constant canine companion, Claudette.

Bob was born in Bakersfield, California, where he began his life-long enthusiasm for linguistics and foreign language. Bob was fluent in Spanish and French and conversant in several more languages including German, Italian, and Yiddish. An autodidact, Bob taught himself the Cyrillic alphabet and some kanji so he could expand his written understanding of foreign languages.

Bob lived a remarkable life, residing in Europe for 8 months and next door to Janis Joplin in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco during the heyday of the 1960’s. Bob lived in communes in both California and New Mexico, learning how to cook in California and farm in New Mexico. He lived for several months in a Zen Center in Jasper, New York under the tutelage of a Korean Zen master. Bob’s son, Jesse, was born in Jasper in a small house that Bob built. Bob and his family eventually moved to Rochester.

Bob enjoyed working with his hands, especially precision work. He built model ships as a hobby and worked as a machinist, an assembler, and for the last 20 years of his working career, as a salesclerk for Craft Service. He enjoyed helping customers find what they needed to embark on or complete their craft projects.

Bob owned an extensive library of books encompassing a wide variety of topics. He was particularly interested in science, the environment, histories, and religion, owning several Bibles in different languages, the Koran, the Talmud, many books on Buddhism, and many religious treatises. He also enjoyed reading fiction from classics to contemporary, owning many books by Mark Twain, Isaac Bashevis Singer, James Lee Burke, Jo Nesbo, John Sanford, John Irving, as well as many others. Bob always wanted to share his love of books; when he and Pat married, they requested children’s books for donation in lieu of more traditional wedding gifts. For a time, he even had an online bookstore, The B Store, when books threatened to crowd people out of the house.

For many years Bob was a member of a Small Group Ministry connected with The First Universalist Church. For 35 years, Bob was a fixture in the Browncroft neighborhood where he was often seen walking his dogs. Making friends with neighbors and other dog walkers was one of Bob’s pleasures. His leisure time was spent reading, solving sudoku puzzles, listening to music (often singing along), and caring for a series of much-loved rescue dogs.

Bob will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and neighbors. Please join us in a celebration of Bob’s life on September 28th, 11:00 am, at the First Universalist Church, 150 South Clinton Ave., in downtown Rochester. Limited handicap parking is available behind the church (off Court Street) on the right side of the lot (only), otherwise parking is on-street or at the Washington Square or Court Street parking garages.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Foodlink, UUSC, SPLC, or the charity of your choice.