Kenneth Robie, 91

PLYMOUTH — Kenneth Robie, 91, of 12 Smith Bridge Road, completed his earthly tasks on Oct. 22, 2019, at 3:30 p.m., in his beloved home, after a period of failing health.

Mr. Robie was born April 3, 1928, to Ernest and Alice (Matthews) Robie at home in Bristol. He was born into a family of woodsmen, loggers, and farmers.

At age 16, he acquired the property where he lived out his life. The home was once the old Pemigewassett Inn, huge in structure, and it included a large barn that housed many cattle. It was a thriving farm that provided milk to Hatch Dairy that was sold and delivered throughout the area — the days of glass bottles topped with cream for special occasions; the fields full of hay spreading to the Baker River behind the homestead fed the livestock; and gardens were bountiful for family meals throughout the year, from canning and freezing. A farmer, as he was, knew life on a farm was a school of patience.

Ken gave up the dairy business and turned to carpentry. He traveled about, working on job sites around New Hampshire, and made a lot of his own furniture. At age 90, he constructed seating for his deck, where he enjoyed summer cookouts. He had a made-to-order business of animal silhouettes that adorned many a yard throughout the state.

In his life, he loved to go camping, traveling among the sights and sounds of Vermont, fairs, country music, and antique auctions. He had a fetish for old tractors and their history. He loved to pick blackberries, did his own cooking, and roamed about in his wood-paneled PT Cruiser. He kept his mind sharp by reading, puzzles, and daily word search.

On July 5, 1954, Ken married Elaine Haley, and their union lasted 55 years, until Elaine’s passing in 2009. In their latter years, they so enjoyed the simplicity of just sitting on the porch, watching for family to stop by, and in the summer months, watching grandsons going up Tenney Mountain Highway with race cars in tow. They looked forward to those Friday and Saturday nights.

Mr. Robie was predeceased by his parents; his beloved wife; and several aunts and uncles.

He is survived by his five children, Gaye Hodgdon, Adrian Robie, Becky Weeks, Eugene Robie, and Veronica Malcolm; sister Barbara Patterson of Laconia; and brother William Robie of Hebron. They had and loved many grandchildren, great-grandkids, nieces and nephews.

Services for Ken will be at the Campton Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, 2102 US-3, with overseer Ed Veisberg officiating, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m.

Burial will be in the family lot at the Riverside Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that, in Ken’s memory, you donate generously to Plymouth Animal Hospital and the Humane Society, for love, care, and homes for the two kitties he left behind, and those like them.