Robert F. Baldwin, of Newcastle, writer, musician, and storyteller, died peacefully at his home on Nov. 25, attended by his loving family.
Bob was born in 1934 in Norfolk, Va., the son of A. Stuart Baldwin and Sarah Laird Baldwin.
He developed a love of travel and a thirst for adventure at an early age. His family moved often, first during depression times and again when his father served in WWII. As a young man he took to the open road, spending time on both coasts and numerous places in between. He worked for railroads and steel mills; played the banjo in folk music cafes from San Francisco to New York; hopped freight trains; and befriended the down and out wherever he went. There was always room in his heart and his house for strangers who needed a hot meal and a clean bed. One memorable Thanksgiving, he brought home a family of nine, newly arrived Laos, with only the clothes on their backs.
In the 1960s, Bob embarked on a career as a newspaperman, which allowed him to earn a living while seeking newsworthy adventures. He worked for The Greensboro Record, The Providence Journal and The Providence Visitor, a Catholic weekly, before moving to Maine to establish himself as a freelance magazine writer. He wrote several books, among them “The End of the World”, “A Catholic View”. His award-winning picture book, “This is the Sea that Feeds Us”, opened the door for more travel opportunities as he and his wife, Annabelle, a former school librarian and author, visited schools around the country to engage children with stories and songs and information about the marine food web. In addition to his skills as an actor, musician, and adventurer, he was a magnificent real estate broker during family games of Monopoly.
Bob and his wife are longtime residents of Newcastle, where he enjoyed foraging for wild mushrooms, bass fishing, and picking and singing with the Narrow Gauge String Band. At the time of his death he was writing his memoirs.
He is survived by Annabelle, his wife of 44 years; daughters, Sarah, Holly, and Elizabeth; sons-in-law, Max Alexander and Matt Rowe; grandchildren, Harper and Whit Alexander and Janice Baldwin-Rowe; sister, Sally Baldwin of Belfast; and brother, Laird Baldwin of Wytheville, Va.
His music, wit, and enthusiasm for life will be missed by his wide circle of family and friends.
Funeral 11 a.m., Sat., Dec. 15 at St. Denis Church, Whitefield.
In lieu of flowers, the Baldwin family requests that donations be made to C.H.I.P (Community Housing Improvement Project), P.O. Box 6, New Harbor, ME 04554.