Robert G Hudson

I miss you Dad. You are in every breath and every tear and I really really miss you so much

Sorry that I only learned of Robert's passing. I want to share with the family (Tom I know) and Robert's other admirers, that I too recall him with great fondness and admiration. I knew him from his attending Estate Sales. He was always friendly, kind, humorous and keenly interested in what was going on around him. He had, and shared his sharp eye for, knowledge of, and insight to art and certain collectibles. I always swelled with pleasure to see Robert enter a property as I looked forward to another encounter with a such a charming man. Robert embodied grace. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have met him.

To the Hudson family:

I was blessed to have met Robert during the time he was the minister of the Unity church in Vero Beach, FL. He brought such grace, dignity, and a wonderful sense of humor, coupled with kindness and compassion as he tended to his flock; my mother, who functioned as the church treasurer, was in awe of his gifts he brought to each service and event. Although he didn't remain in Vero for very long, he touched the lives of everyone he met.

God speed to you Robert, on the next leg of your journey.

I only wish to echo what's already been said. Suzy and I feel so fortunate to have shared his friendship. All of these tributes are so telling.

I have loved reading all the entries about Hudson and there is not much more to add. He was truly a phenomenal person; one of a kind;inspirational and warm. He was the officiant at my wedding, became a friend and I know he will be truly missed. My sincere condolences to the family. He was a wonderful human. Lots of love to his family - Suzy and George

I was shocked to hear of Robert's passing. What a wonderful man. I will never forget his sense of humor, and playfulness. I am grateful for the joy of having the privilege of being around him during our time in ministerial school.

Chris Chenoweth

Robert G. Hudson -81- Born 12/6/34 in St Louis, Missouri

The first thought that comes into my mind is:
PROFOUND ELEGANCE
This is the ESSENCE and SUBSTANCE that I would measure Robert Hudson's life by, as well as in his relationship with others.
I met Robert thru a longtime friend, Marj Britt, a fellow active Unity follower and ordained Unity Minister.
In 1978 I was assigned Robert's business account for Yellow Pages. Then in 1985 my family visited Robert at his Unity Church in San Antonio, where he was the Pastor.
More recently, when Marj would fly-in from Tustin, California to attend Board Meeting at Unity Village we would meet-up with Robert for lunch and spend hours visiting and catching-up. Robert was always upbeat, cheerful, appreciative; a joy and of course
PROFOUNDLY ELEGANT.
We certainly will miss you Robert!

Edwin J. Casey

The first time I met Mr. Hudson, was in 1997 at a job I was running in Albuquerque, NM. He came from Kansas to visit his son, Matt Hudson whom I still work for. I was extremely honored and nervous to have my boss and his father come oversee my abilities as a plumber. But, that was soon over-shadowed by Mr. Hudsons immediate connection with our customer. The customer was a massage therapist who was wheelchair riden and blind. While he was attending school, he was in a terrible accident that left him in this condition. After getting to know the customer, Mr. Hudson mentioned that his back had been causing him issues, and asked if he might be able to help. After the massage was done, he came to me, shook my hand and said, "Keep up the good work!" At the time, I didn't know what to make of this whole visit. But, after getting to know him for the next 20 years and reflecting back, I now understand, I wonder if he even had a back issue. Robert Husdon was always caring, helpful and willing to share his knowledge and life lessons. My only regret is not being able to spend more time learning, laughing and sharing his experiences.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Robert. Rest in peace, sir, you will be missed!
Kris Hessinger

I have a warm spot in my heart for Bob from our years in EFM. My dearest sympathy to you, Sharon, and your entire family as you cherish the memories.

For the past six years I cherished an unwavering bond with my dear friend, Robert. There was a fifty year age difference between us and yet we shared many common interests in music, art, and poetry. When it came to art, he valued the use of metaphor and the deeper meaning, perspective, and the therapeutic aspects that good art provides. He also enjoyed the company of truly authentic people. For those who chose to take the road less traveled by, they were greeted at the road's end by Robert Hudson. They were met with clever humor, spoiled with sweets, and then nurtured with a listening ear. The best way I can think to honor this remarkable man, is to one day be someone's Robert Hudson.

Bob Hudson was a wonderful friend, an amazing man. My major regret is that I did not know him longer. He is the most genuine human being I have ever encountered. My best wishes are that I may meet him again in another life. Here's to Faulty Towers!


Phil Dibble (Your EFM confidant)

Bob Hudson was a wonderful friend, an amazing man. I major regret is that I did not know him longer. He is the most genuine human being I have ever encountered. My best wishes are that I may meet him again in another life. Here's to Faulty Towers!

Phil Dibble (Your EFM confidant)

We were so sorry to read that Mr Hudson had died. He has been a friendly and loyal customer for so many years. We know he will be missed. We will keep your family in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time.

Robert was one of the first men to look me in the eye as a teenage boy and clearly see the man I was becoming. I was afraid of most men at that age and Robert made sure to counter. Gentle and observant, he played mentor to me in a swashbuckling fashion - snatching me up from my teen broodings for a drive to the river or a walk to get an ice cream. We talked love, life, spirituality and told each other stories. Some true, some make believe.

As I grew into a man, Robert kept up his interest in me. He was always willing to lend an ear, a smile, a hug. His heart was huge and his spirit radiant with hope and wonder.

Reclusive at times, Robert would disappear, off on another journey - only to return with even more wisdom and insight. I'd have to pry the pearls out of him, for he seldom liked to talk about himself. He was too busy asking questions, wanting to know my story, what was in my heart. Humble and generous.

I was able to glean a few lessons in the nearly forty years I knew Robert. Look, listen, and judge not - especially yourself. For the most wicked critic you'll ever encounter lives between your own two ears. Love those around you and surround yourself with love. Embrace the mystery. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And lead your life with an open heart.

Thank you Robert Hudson. Your gifts live on in your children, your wife, your family and friends. Your spirit remains alive in all those you've touched and will forever live in my heart.

Michael J. Bonahan

I met Robert in Assisi, Italy, in 1989. I had the pleasure of sharing music at his church as well. We had been out of touch for years- it is sad to hear of his passing, but knowing his spirit, I only imagine a good continuation of his journey. with love, Michael Stillwater

Sharon,

We knew Bob through Roto-Rooter and had the greatest respect for Tom and Matt. He left a wonderful legacy and a heritage. You are in our prayers. Paul & Shirley Farmer.

Sorry for your loss Sharon

Bob was always John and Matt's dad to me, but still, in that defined role, he was writ large. He spoke at our Loretto commencement address and began "Mother, Father, God." It was perfect!

John, Your memory of your devoted father as a ship, and you a passenger on it, is absolutely lovely. You were lucky to have one another.

All my best to you and your family.

Sharon,
I am so very sorry for your loss. This world will not be the same without him. What a blessing it was that you have been able to be with your sweet husband during his time of need. You are an earthly angel. Our thoughts are with you and the family. Hugs, love and prayers, Stacy (Fuhrman)

Dear Sharon & Family, Bob was a one of kind gentleman who had many gifts. Was fortunate for our roads to pass in a EFM Class. The sound of his laughter, kindness, and humble ways were shared with his friends. May your loss allow you to know how much Bob was loved. My prayers will be for your family during this time of loss. Carmen

Dear Sharon,
I just want you to know you are in my thoughts and prayers as you navigate this time.
We have only met once, but it was a time in my life when you and Bobby showed me the greatest kindness in attending my dad, John Wilson's internment near St. Louis, Mo in September of 2008. It would have been such a lonely journey without the warmth and support both you and Bobby gave to my husband, 12 year old daughter and I as we journeyed East to fulfill his last request.
I can only tell you, it made all the difference. Like so many of Bobby's friends and family, I benefited from his kindness and larger than life ability to encompass others in his generous and expansive view of life! Just as Bobby gave us each a chance to share our memories, he has done so again now.
I hold you in great regard. With Love and Prayers, Janet

It was my great honor to have known and worked for Bob for 40 years. His calm manor and positive leadership was an inspiration to all. I'm a better person for having known him. Tim OConnor (Ralston Ne)

Robert was my father-in-law, a man I got to know well over many years. He was family-centered, generous, wise and kind. I remembered his boisterous musical performances at our family holiday parties. He drew caricatures of people with such insight and perfection that you'd think a professional artist dashed them out. He also liked greasy spoon diners found in the hidden crannies of the city; I remember frequently sitting in them discussing the events of our lives with pie we all munched on.

Robert served as the Reverend at my outdoor wedding, and when he said "blessings sprinkle down," a little pattering of rain fell...quite perceptive of him, and he most certainly was perceptive in most situations. He loved art, the symphony and funny antique trinkets, many of which adorn my home since he gave them out constantly.

I remember my first sight of Robert, striding down the Plaza, carefree and smiling. He was a one-of-a-kind gentleman, handsome, intelligent, inventive and always on the go. He even once rescued us at midnight when our vehicle ran out of gas on a dark, deserted portion of Highway 9. He rescued us in many other circumstances too...he was quite dependable in that way...always an able and willing guardian angel who invariably found our adventures humorous.

I will remember Robert with affection and respect. I feel graced and honored that he played such a large role in my life. I did not see him in the past few years, but he is still larger-than-life in my many, warm memories of him. Godspeed, Rev.

Robert was an exceptional,unusual person with a delightful Dr. Seuss slant on life. "How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's
afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon."

Dear Sharon,
So sorry to hear of Bob's passing. My thoughts and prayers are with you and the family during this time of sorrow. I will always remember Bob with many loving memories. Love all, Danny Kruse

In trying to describe Mr. Hudson to my family, the only correlation I could come up with to explain how he made me feel, was to say he reminded me of Mr. Rogers. He was genuine, kind and always had positive words about everything around him in the time I knew him. I am grateful to have been able to help care for him in the very small, but best way I possibly could. My thoughts and prayers are with you Mrs. Hudson and your family.
Sincerely,
Lee Ann Bailey (your personal laboratory service)

I love this man. I shall miss him dearly. I will never forget the practical joke he played on Albert Wingate. It backfired and that made it even funnier. Heaven is now a better, happier and funnier place because Robert is there!

What Bob didn't say in his obituary is that he was a phenomenal man. He was larger than life. If you only met him once you never forgot him. He saw or created the humor in every situation. He was a curious, lifelong learner and seeker. His greatest passion was his family. Robert filled a room, a life, a heart; and when he was gone it was as if the air had been sucked out of it. There are no goodbyes for us, whereever you are you will always live in our hearts. To Bob's family my prayer is that you will always celebrate his life. My deepest sympathy Nedra Woodyatt

Bob and I were elementary-aged friends in St. Louis where I referred to him as my best friend. Life took us in different directions, but we recently rekindled our friendship. At a luncheon just a few days ago, we had a great time remembering and laughing over our escapades so many years ago on the streets of St. Louis. I wish we could have had more time together.

I knew Bob as "Katie's dad" growing up. He was a gentle spirit who seemed always to be smiling. May he rest in peace.

Words of mine cannot possibly describe the depth of love and bonds of kinship that I feel for my dad. The father and son relationship is an eternal archetype that I found myself playing out with him, in what has now been made most clear to me, a poignantly temporary life, a temporary relationship. It is self evident, foundational and all encompassing. It is not necessary to say it, but I say it because Robert recognized, respected and cherished that role.
It was always apparent to me that the father that he was, was of enormous importance to him and to who he was. He has fulfilled that role for fifty years, from the very beginning of my life to the very ending of his. From guiding steps to guiding spirit he shared his awe for and his growing understanding of all the delightful fulfillments, deeply mysterious and apparently incomprehensible contradictions of living.

One of the most illuminating aspects of Robert, for me, was his never ending search and love of uncovering the spirit that animates people. He loved others. It came naturally to him. He could be deeply introspective, but more so I think he sought to uncover his own identity and expand it through understanding the humanity around him, through his family, bonds of loyal friendships, and by relentlessly seeking to make connections with the people he meet on his own winding and uniquely self made path through the world before him. I was continually amazed, but also often put off by my dads eager readiness to engage with complete strangers from all walks of life and capacities. Long before he entered the ministry it seemed that apart from all his other responsibilities, as parent and businessman, growing within him was an almost restless alternate mission. This other job was to collect the stories of other lives. To me he seemed a great student of human nature. He always took an opportunity to practice the art of listening. I think of the many gifts that he gave to me, the lasting one was simply being a witness to his own process of looking for understanding of others before coming to a predisposed judgement upon those who sought his counsel or whom, in Robert, was found a receptive presence. On some intrinsic level Robert was simply fascinated by the rich diversity of lives, apart from any role that he assumed in that capacity. Robert was a speaker, and an advisor, but it seemed to me that he spent more time listening than speaking. I think at his best, it was his sensitivity and and dedication to seeking to see clearly before judgement that allowed him to push foreword, forgiving though understanding and passing his own demons with a momentum fueled by an optimistic belief in the ultimate good, which carried him through to the mature and fulfilled years of his later life.

With the the coming of his final trial and transition to his "completion", I find myself in awe of the man and the relationship. I struggle to explore the seeming endlessly subtle and powerful ways that he demonstrated his capacity to love and I find that I must stretch and fail and stretch again, in search of those limits and then stop just to wonder at all the humanity, curiosity, magic and beauty that is contained within his sphere of influence, and then, acknowledge that is a part visible to me only. If I were to multiply this one perspective that I have, by all of those others to whom he was dear, and gather them into a single entity, I think what would emerge is a real, multifaceted work of art. An avid appreciator and collector of art himself, it was in the end, he himself that was the jewel in that collection. If I could illustrate the boundaries of the space that he occupied in my imagination, Robert would take the form of a ship, a colorful sea fairing vessel of exploration, flying banners from each of the people he encountered on his journeys. It is light and buoyant and it's deck is full of all the people and all the moments of the sharing and happenings, all their mirth and craft and story telling and word smithing , silly rhyme making, role playing, music making, as Robert pushed and pulled wind through his harmonica, and moments near the end of day sitting and searching with him across the horizon, noticing the dance of fireflies in the twilight or quietly gazing up past our vessel our earth and beyond our cares to an expanse of stars and speculating on our place in all the vastness.

Throughout my childhood Robert was most things that mattered to me. I was keenly aware that he assumed sole responsibility for my upbringing. Childhood with my dad felt very much like being a member of the crew on a traveling ship. We were always going to some new and interesting place with him. If the place wasn't fascinating enough in itself, he would try somehow to find ways to make it interesting, or move to the next place. Robert was an adventurer and a searcher of sorts and was never satisfied standing still. Taking trips with us in tow, or having is own adventures, stopping at " ports " to take on new passengers who might come to stay for a time, later to be dropped off at the next landing. As the years passed his " harbors " of refuge in companionship and love deepened and lengthened as his internal storms settled and the wisdom to know what that place he could call "home" looked like for him. In each place I'm sure he learned important lessons and each one held a special chapter in the writing of his story.

Always, for me was the safety of the ship, that was him. His passing brings to focus above all the fresh and vital spark of childhood with an amazingly fun loving dad. He was the nighttime story teller, the helmsman, the central pillar or mast, the sail and all of it. Always ready to catch a prevailing wind of opportunity, though he could just as easily work up some magic and mastery, conjuring a wind of change to alter the course and fill our sail and push our vessel with some new inner breeze, from who knew where, that would propel our band of brothers and sisters in closer towards the next intention and direction. The destination was another matter, not really the important thing to him. What Robert really loved was a good journey, and most of all, a discovery unexpected.

Robert was my captain and I'm just happy to have been able to join him for the ride.
- I salute you dad for living the life that gave you joy and ultimately for giving to me an example and appreciation of a life well lived.
- So long my friend

I always enjoyed caring for Mr.Hudson. My prayers to you Sharon, and your family.
Jennifer Vandegrift

We are privileged to know Bob. Thank you for sharing your poems, jokes and rhymes with us. You have made a lasting impression here. We miss you!!!!
Tan, Lexi, Jonas, Brooke and Sam.

Sharon, I was so saddened to hear of Roberts death. 3 weeks ago in Costa Rica I was telling my friend of one night he scared the daylight of me...on purpose of course. He also wrote my son, Michael, a letter of his father, Jack Harrington, after he passed in 2001 It is time for Michael to have that letter. Sending much love and please say hello to John for me. This obit was one of the most lovely I have ever read. Pat ty Burrell ,Sharon, I was so saddened to hear of Roberts death. 3 weeks ago in Costa Rica I was telling my friend of one night he scared the daylight of me...on purpose of course. He also wrote my son, Michael, a letter of his father, Jack Harrington, after he passed in 2001 It is time for Michael to have that letter. Sending much love and please say hello to John for me. This obit was one of the most lovely I have ever read. Pat ty Burrell

How perfectly like you, Beloved Robert, to give us your last 'embodied' words in your own voice... My heart and my mind are filled with the richness of knowing your Love, Light and Joy. Your sense of humor was always present, filled with delight. Your 'sayings and limericks' still bring sweet, yet now quiet laughter. What a gift your Love and Presence was in my life. I'll never forget the day you said, "Marj, I just found this church that you will love!" It was Unity...

Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, you were one of my very most favorite people to have the opportunity to take care of. Your positive attitude and thoughtful revelations about life will remain forever in my heart. I will be thinking of your family during this difficult time. Prayers for peace and comfort to all.

Love,
Lucy Coffey
Saint Luke's Cancer Institute

Bob Hudson was a friend, full of wisdom and caring for others. He had integrity and spirituality. And calmness. He loved his family and appreciated good music. We have fond memories and will miss him. Rest in Peace and with God.

I miss you so much dad.

Bob was a wonderful person. I was blessed to have known him. I hope you have comfort in these hard times. Prayers for you.

Rosemary Durkin

Dear Sharon,
Our hearts are heavy. Blessings to you and all of Bob's family.
Love, Candy and Bud

Sharon,
Our thoughts are with you.
We are fortunate to have many fond and fun memories of our unique friend Bob.
Harry and Harriet

You could not ask for a nicer or generous person. I worked for Robert for several years and being a rarity that he was, he stood up for his employees and always had kind words for them. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Rest in Peace Mr. Hudson you will be missed. Rose Vance/