Menu
Search by Name
Search by Name
ROBERT SOUTHER Obituary
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for ROBERT SOUTHER
Ellen Paul
January 27, 2020
I knew Bob when I worked evenings at Hale and Dorr, and he was the proofreader. Quiet, wry, witty and clearly through and through an honest and hard-working human being. I was so happy for him when he finally quit H&D and immersed himself in his passion - photography. Then, he started smiling a lot more! I saw him last at Open Studios in around the late 1990s after he had moved to the Waterfront. I just this weekend re-hung his two photographs that I bought from him then and framed. The famous "The Secret," and also the one of the little girl in Chinatown with the balloon strings that was an amazing end-of-roll photograph with the white stripe to prove it. He actually wondered why I would buy that one instead of the cropped, but it was the ONLY shot of that little girl and the newspaper over her head like soft protection and such a serious look that I would ever buy. True art, depth of story for artist and subject. The white stripe like every life, one last shot. I love photography, too, and he was a wonderful man to know.
It's about time I posted, Bob :) Look down on all of us and keep on smilin'!
Souther ...
October 22, 2015
I moved to Boston a little over a year ago with the intention of meeting Bob. Before I was able to move into the Ft. Point neighborhood I heard of Bob's passing. I am saddened that I did not get to meet him but look forward to getting to know him through his friends and his work. My sincere sympathies to Bob's family.
Souther, Most likely from another branch of the family tree.
Michael Tyrrell
November 26, 2014
Bob was a great, and humble man. I loved to run into him by the Harborwalk.. he was usually on his bike w/camera. His wonderful photographs will live on. Godspeed ol' friend.
November 23, 2014
Bob, we will truly miss not seeing you on your favorite bench when we take our daily walk along the harbor. May you rest in peace.
Bob & Fatima
Clark Quin
November 23, 2014
My deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family.
November 22, 2014
I don't have much to say except that I'll miss Bob. He and I would usually see one another up on the roof deck at 300 Summer, where he could be found in all weathers making images of the world. His focus was close up and also wide and away. He was always there to record the seagull families struggling to establish a nesting area up there, and he would point out stuff way in the distance that I hadn't noticed. He was always working on his photography- I admired that tenacious quality he had, his dedication to his work. -a neighbor
November 22, 2014
When I met Bob in 2006, as an artist who worked as a picture framer in his building, I was intimidated by him, to be perfectly honest. As the years went by, as someone who moved to Fort Point in 2011, I grew to appreciate him as a kind soul. A man of few words, which is rare these days. His photos are treasures.
I'll miss seeing you, Bob.
Stephen McMillan
November 22, 2014
Bob,
I first got to know you when the artists building at 300 Summer was just getting started. I'll miss your keen wit but we still have the beautiful images you made.
Stephen Mcmillan
November 21, 2014
He taught me to say less.
I miss him.
-Ben
Jean Hangarter
November 20, 2014
Jean Hangarter
November 20, 2014
Jean Hangarter
November 20, 2014
Jean Hangarter
November 20, 2014
Bob was my friend and a fellow photographer. I will miss our conversations, which left me smiling. My heart goes out to his family. Here are some photos of Bob at 2013 Open Studios.
Steve Hollinger
November 20, 2014
I'll miss Bob very much as an everpresent figure around Fort Point, on bike, always with camera, and most often near a chainlink fence or compelling vantage point for a photo along the Harborwalk. We many great laughs, usually when falling back into our respective corners after hard-fought bouts about the state of digital printing technology. Bob's determined eye as a photographer served to memorialize our evolving neighborhood with stark poignancy. His memory will carry on in these photographs and in the people he touched and inspired. Thoughts are with family, friends and neighbors.
Lisa Damtoft
November 20, 2014
I am so sad to learn of Bob's passing and send my condolences to all of his family and friends. But I do smile whenever I think of Bob, my neighbor at 300 Summer for many years. I think of his wry, dry humor, his beautiful photographs, his kindness (I was thrilled when I'd heard that he'd photographed a kestrel on our roof and the next thing I knew I found his photo of the bird at my door), his newspaperman's skepticism but also the newspaperman's mastery of the written word (with wit ingrained), his photographic contribution to our building's newsletter for many years, his devotion to his delivered copy of the Globe, and his bicycle, which I would encounter with him on the street, in the park and in the elevator… he was one of a kind and a lovely man who will be missed.
Furry newborn ear, 2008
Jennifer Amadeo-Holl
November 20, 2014
We will miss you Bob. Your photos were both honest and serene, and your range magnificent. Here's a lovely photo you took of my son's furry newborn ear. Fort Point will never be the same without you.
Furry newborn's ear !
Jennifer Amadeo-Holl
November 20, 2014
Jonathan Stark
November 20, 2014
This is sad indeed. The end of an era. Pre-digital photography documentation of Boston by a man who loved our streets and people. Reportage photography at its best.
With remembrances,
Jonathan
November 20, 2014
Bob and I worked on the gallery committee at FPAC together and I so loved his wry sense of humor as well as his great skill as a photographer. So much of the life around Boston has been beautifully documented. I will miss him, and will remember him biking around town with such a positive attitude.
November 20, 2014
God bless you Bob. I loved having you as a neighbor.
Ann Scott
Jennifer Moses
November 20, 2014
I will miss bob he was a neighbor that I loved to run into in the building. He had a dry wit and we laughed at each other's jokes. He documented the neighborhood and it's changes and the public art made by his fellow fort point artists. I will think of him every time I pass a particular bench on the harbor walk where he hung out with his camera and his bike.
Showing 1 - 21 of 21 results
Make a Donation
in ROBERT SOUTHER's name
Memorial Events
for ROBERT SOUTHER
How to support ROBERT's loved ones
Honor a beloved veteran with a special tribute of ‘Taps’ at the National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The nightly ceremony in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated in honor of your loved one on the day of your choosing.
Read more
Should I Send Sympathy Flowers?
What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read more
What Should I Write in a Sympathy Card?
We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read moreResources to help you cope with loss
Estate Settlement Guide
If you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read more
Obituaries, grief & privacy: Legacy’s news editor on NPR podcast
Legacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read more
The Five Stages of Grief
They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel.
Read moreWays to honor ROBERT SOUTHER's life and legacy
Obituary Examples
You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
Read more
Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples
These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
Read more
How Do I Write a Eulogy?
Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
Read more
