Robert Amos

1940 - 2025

Robert (Bob) Amos
01/10/1940 - 07/09/2025
Robert Morley Amos (Bob) took his last breath the night of the full moon, July 9, 2025 in his home in Corte Madera.
He loved the Bay Area, and while he was well traveled he had the good sense to never choose to live anywhere else.
Born in Berkeley in 1940 he liked to tell people that his birth certificate had been signed by Alta Bates herself… and it was.
Growing up in the Berkeley Hills, he and his older brother John would look toward the bay for any signs of lingering submarines; childhood play mixed with the reality of a world at war. Attending Cragmont Elementary School, Garfield Jr. High school and then Berkeley High School, he enjoyed friendships that lasted his entire life. The week before he was diagnosed with cancer he played 18 holes of golf with his best friend from childhood.
He was a Cal man (Sigma Nu), and never lost his desire to learn. He held two Master's Degrees, first in Logistics and then Finance. Later he would share his experience as an adjunct professor teaching at Golden Gate University and Dominican University.
Like his father, and his grandfather before him (both railroad men), he worked in transportation. He sailed the Pacific for a summer aboard a freighter after high school, and then worked in the rail yard for Del Monte. Eventually serving as the Director of Finance and Logistics for Levi Strauss. He enjoyed his work very much, mostly because it allowed him to help others succeed.
He also had an incredible sense of humor. He once convinced a visiting consultant that the Sutro tower was not just a telecommunications antenna, but a monument to the 49ers Super Bowl victory, a fact the man later shared in a meeting with the companies senior management much to their confusion, dismay and mirth.
Upon retirement he continued to teach and took art classes at the College of Marin. He quickly discovered a passion for oil painting. He would take classes and then audit them repeatedly. While working on his art in the classroom he enjoyed encouraging others. This eventuality led him to start a 'Plen air' painting group where he would scout new places to paint in the outdoors. The gatherings were popular and as many as 150 people would look forward to the email every week to see what new venues he would share that they could paint. Often his paintings would be left as he made the rounds chatting with others and encouraging the newcomers. Thankfully the group that still bears his name is actively gathering, a fact that brought him incredible pleasure.
He served as chairman for Marin Open Studios, and over the years he helped them gain non-profit status and become a world class artist advocacy organization. He took great joy in the many friends he made exploring his art and supporting others.
He was raised in a time when men did not say "I love you" to those closest to them, and yet he said it freely and often…so much so that they would be his final words.
He leaves behind his son, Craig Amos of Corte Madera, brother John Amos of Pleasant Hill (Nicky), and their children Leslie and Steve, as well as Bob's ex-wife Gretchen Olson of Cantonment Fl and his second ex-wife Linda Amos of Oakland.
To view his paintings visit http://www.bobamosfineart.com
In leiu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Cancer Society or Marin Open Studios of Marin.