Curtis H. Robinson

Curtis H. Robinson

South Portland, Maine

January 18, 1958-March 2, 2026

Personal note from his wife, Michelle Morel: What I'd like to add to this amazing tribute to Curtis by the Aspen Daily News is that in the early morning hours of March 2, our son Finnegan and I lost an amazing dad and husband who loved fearlessly, guided us gently, and placed family above all else. He was our North Star. Reading any of his columns or other writings will give you a sense of his philosophy and what our late-evening conversations were like. We were kindred souls because we both hated injustice, talked at length over red wine or during long drives to DC about what we could do to address it, and believed we all have a voice and can spark change. Carry that torch, my friends. Be fearless and love deeply. That's what I learned from Curtis.

He is survived by his wife Michelle Morel; son Finnegan Robinson; sister Patricia Robinson; sister and brother-in-law Mildred (Millie) and Bobby Casto; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Melissa and T. Andrew Bonfatti; sister-in-law Melanie Morel; and nearly a dozen nieces, nephews, and their spouses and partners. Curtis was predeceased by his wife, and Finnegan's mother, Donna Dowling Robinson, in 2006.

A celebration of his life is planned for early summer.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting Aspen Journalism, where Curtis was a founding member of the nonprofit's Editorial Advisory Board.

Excerpts from " One of the last great newspapermen," by Kaya Noel Williams, published on March 5, 2026, in the Aspen Daily News:

"Curtis Robinson was that dogged and irreverent kind of journalist - the type who wouldn't take BS if it was served on a silver platter and knew a government meeting was good material if you could write about it with verve. "

"He was one of Hunter S. Thompson's best friends, a fellow Kentucky man, sharing in the chaos and the Chivas at Owl Farm in Woody Creek and helping the Good Doctor compile his letters for the collection 'Kingdom of Fear.' He wrote thousands of stories himself, and edited newspapers in five states; between the mid 1990s and the early 2000s, his time in the Roaring Fork Valley [Colorado], Robinson led more local publications than most do in a career - including the Aspen Daily News and the Roaring Fork Sunday - mentoring generations of emerging writers who would become mainstays in the media world.

"Robinson also spent years in public affairs and media relations, worked on books and documentaries and podcasts, too. He saw writing as a vehicle for justice: 'a political animal trapped in a creative soul,' according to his friend Matt Moseley."

"'Curtis considered journalism to be the active recording of history, melded with the poetry of life,'" according to [Christopher] Tidmore, who was Robinson's co-host on " Hunter-Gatherers: The Podcast of Hunter S. Thompson Stories."

"'I would describe him as one of the last great newspapermen,'" Tidmore said.

You can find some of his work from Aspen in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection online.