Robert Carlson

Robert Carlson, better known as Robin, died peacefully in his sleep at his sister Joy Mills' and her husband's home in Paoli, PA on September 3. He was 73 years old and died of pancreatic cancer. Robin was the son of Arthur and Margaret (Stichler) Carlson. He grew up in Havertown, attending Haverford High School and becoming an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Dartmouth College and the Dickinson School of Law. In addition to studying in France and traveling around Europe during his undergraduate years, he studied law in Lausanne, Switzerland. Most memorable was a daring trip with his younger brother in 1964 through Finland into Russia and out through Poland. He practiced law briefly in Philadelphia before going into the family business, Franklin Printers Supply Company. He sold that business and when it moved to New Jersey, he successfully converted several of those Center City buildings into loft apartments. Robin's final years were devoted to volunteer work-first in Pennsylvania and more recently in Colorado where he lived near his brother, Laird, and sister-in-law, Claudia, in Mancos. He was a side walker with Sebastian Riding Associates, a non-profit therapeutic and educational organization in Collegeville, PA and with Medicine Horse Center in Mancos, Colorado. In addition, he volunteered at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, and the library in Mancos. Robin particularly loved reading for a blind friend at Devon Manor and also volunteered at the Valley Inn Nursing Home in Mancos. With his quick wit and his ready smile, his gregarious nature and his mesmerizing blue eyes, Robin made friends with everyone who responded to him. One friend called him "a Renaissance man."He is already missed by his many friends and family members. In addition to his siblings and their spouses, these include his nieces Sara and Suzanne, and nephew Will along with step-nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews, his Carlson cousins, and the love of his life, Francoise. His life will be celebrated with a ceremony honoring the earth which, as he said: "is the core of everything." If you wish to honor Robin's memory, contribute to any of the organizations named above or become a volunteer yourself.