ROBERT BEDELL Obituary

BEDELL--Robert Kiefer, father, grandfather, husband, engineer, humanist, leftist, WWII veteran, atheist and peace activist - died while napping on April 5, 2011. Born in Indianapolis, educated at Reed and Stanford, he married the writer Madelon Berns in 1950. Life-long Brooklyners, they had three children and six grandchildren. Robert loved maple sugaring, blacksmithing and reading the New York Times. He built one of America's first urban solar projects, and, assisted by his wife, threw a famous Christmas party. Robert's presence had the gravity of the sun, and the warmth. A memorial service is planned for April 10th at 2pm at Robert's home in Cobble Hill.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by New York Times on Apr. 8, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for ROBERT BEDELL

7 Entries

Dan Socolov

April 7, 2020

Bob, I love and miss you. I always loved those Bedell's Christmases. The cases of champagne. Jane using syringes to inject ham or turkey with their own juice to keep them moist, the tree with real candles. Loved memorizing poems for those thanksgivings. You didn't suffer fools, but you always had good humor and sensitivity. I remember seeing Shadowlands with you and my dad, and the play (about CS Lewis, whose wife dies) hit a nerve and you had to get up and out of there, sobbing. That was the one time I really got to know you differently. And it's one memory I'll never forget. I love all you Bedells. Hope you're all bearing up during these trying times. Love, Dan Socolov

Eric Johnson

April 11, 2011

I knew you hardly at all, but your son is one of the dearest people I know. He has inspired me to think critically and communicate with others honestly, and really be a part of my community. He always spoke so highly of you and certainly carried part of you with him.

Laura Meyers

April 11, 2011

Uncle Bob always encouraged me to become a mother and had full faith that I would do a good job of it. I trusted his opinion since he had three children who all lived close by and still talked to each other. That seemed a marker of success! Bob had a chance to meet my daughter and see that his investment in me paid off. Uncle Bob took me in when I had run up debt and needed a place, a familiar story to the long line of people who benefited from Uncle Bob's graciousness. Living with Bob, I learned American history, how to cook a chop properly, and how to duct tape a lamp to a wall. I also learned about fortitude from Bob. It was honor to live on the third floor and share the space where
Madelon once worked.

Over 50 years ago, Bob's sister Jane married George Mayberry - the widower of Rita Vallish - and become the stepmother to my cousins Sharon and Enid. In the 1990's I went to Cuba with my mother Karen Linnet Meyers to meet Aunt Jane. I didn't meet my Uncle Bob until the last decade of his life even though his son Ben lived briefly with my family in Mexico in the early 1970's.

There are many stories of the ways our families are intertwined and I witnessed just a small part of that history.

I send my gratitude and love to the Bedell family and to Uncle Bob.

Laura Vallish Meyers.
April 9, 2011

Davis Bynum

April 11, 2011

Bob and I went back-packing in the Sierra in the summer of 1941 between our junior and senior years at Hoover High school in Glendale, CA. Yes, unfortunately, the school was named for the president, not the vacuum cleaner. Anyway the trip involved our leaving the campsite late in the day and starting an eight mile hike back to our car. As darkness fell, a packer came along with two saddle horses and a pack mule with the typical wooden pack frame on its back. He offered us a ride and since there were three of us we flipped coins to see who got the horses and who got the mule. Your dad got the mule, whose name was Maude. It was really dark by then and the mule kept lagging behind. We could hear somewhere behind us your dad urging the mule to go faster. "Come on Maude" was an invocation that we heard all the way down that trail. Your dad was pretty uncomfortable all that while, given that pack frames are not meant for riding.

When we did get down and headed home we had only $1.50 between us. It was enough to buy three hamburgers in Bishop and to get a little gas for the car, which I had borrowed from my stepfather. I dropped Bob and our other friend off at their houses and ran our of gas as I was driving up my parents' driveway. We could do a lot for very little in those days.

Davis Bynum, April 11, 2011

sharon mayberry

April 11, 2011

You remain a wonderful part of my life; also an infuriating part. One of a kind, and oh, what a rich life you had. I will never forget your final words: "Thank You."
Thank you, beloved Uncle Bob

Lee and Diane Pfanstiel

April 9, 2011

What a blessing it was to us that Robert had his "other home" in Fairfield. It always makes a Vermonter a little nervous when a "flatlander" buys the property next door. But we loved him! We remember the times Robert would show up in the middle of the night in a snowstorm (walking up that driveway!), or hiking in the woods planning (and being a part of) his sugaring operation or the many conversations about life - Robert on the one side as an atheist and us on our side as Christians- but it never mattered to our friendship. We will always have fond memories of Robert as a man of adventure, integrity, strong character, and a blast to be around. What a special man.
Here's to you, Robert!

Dan Socolov

April 8, 2011

A big man with the biggest heart. The Socolovs will never forget you Bob, or all those amazing Christmas parties.

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