Robert Friedman

Bob Friedman was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1929. At the age of 17, he left home and traveled the country. During the Korean War, he served in the United States Army, stationed on the Island of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. After graduating college in California, he began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in New Mexico. In 1962, he, his wife and first two children headed to Vietnam, where he held a civilian position with the State Department. He returned with his family to New Mexico and in 1969 was appointed Superintendent of the Eight Northern New Mexico Indian Pueblos. In that position, he was most proud of his role in successfully negotiating the return of Blue Lake to the Taos Pueblo Indians.

After retiring, he and his second wife, Palmyra LoMonaco, moved to Durham, North Carolina. The couple spent summers in Lamoine, Maine, a place dear to his heart, and where he felt most at home.

In 2008, Bob and Palmyra moved to Claremont, California to be close to family. He devoted the last decade of life to caring for his wife, who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, and also struggled him-self with early stages of Parkinson’s. He was buoyed by much time with family and friends. Bob was preceded in death by Palmyra, who died in August of 2017. He is survived by his children and their spouses, and his many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Donations can be made to one of the following organizations:

American Civil Liberties Union: https://www.aclu.org The Parkinson’s Foundation: www.parkinson.org Alzheimer’s Association: https://alz.org/