Robert-Canfield-Obituary

Robert Grant Canfield

Petaluma, California

1945 - 2025

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Petaluma, California

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Robert Grant Canfield
11/21/1945 - 10/21/2025
Grant died October 21 in Marin County at the age of 79, following a short illness. He was born in Belmond, Iowa, making his way through high school and the Eagle Scouts in Decatur, IL, then heading west for college and continuing west until 1970, when he arrived in San Francisco. Despite having missed the Summer of Love, he found much to enjoy in the Bay Area, including West Coast science fiction fandom, his 30+ year career as one of the Bay Area's leading architects in research and biopharmaceutical laboratory design, and nonstop cartooning. Throughout the 1970s, while preparing for his architecture licensing exams, he published cartoons in dozens of national magazines and dozens (if not hundreds) more science fiction fanzines, with caricature a specialty. He was nominated seven times for the World Science Fiction Convention's Hugo award in the category of Best Fan Artist and also illustrated books. Everyone who knew him found him thoughtful, caring, witty and entertaining, whether kidding around in person or in pen and ink.
Grant was predeceased by his father Robert Canfield, a decorated Pearl Harbor veteran, his mother Jean Canfield and his beloved brother Curtis who passed away just last year. He is survived and lovingly remembered by his sister Catherine McNamara, his sister-in-law Diane Canfield, three nieces and nephews, six grand nieces and grand nephews, his fellow alumni of the Eisenhower High School class of 1963, numerous poker and pool buddies and the entire West Coast science fiction fan and fan art community. You'll live on in all our hearts, buddy.

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Wow! Presumably Grant is given to us in a self portrait .... Amazing! The nuances and sweetness he captured about his own self are rather wonderful ! I have no doubt that anyone else he captured in character cartoon is grateful ... I wish I knew him. RIP Grant .... From a new fan .... Susan

Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this time.