Robert Henry Laws Jr.

Robert Henry Laws Jr. died on September 27, 2018 with his wife and sons at his bedside. Robert was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and a man of courage, loyalty, and wisdom. He loved books and ideas, history, and poetry. He was an avid fly fisherman who tied his own flies and released many trout. Robert was born January 11, 1930 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the son of Robert Henry Laws Sr. and Ada Muir Laws. On the move during the Great Depression and war years, the family eventually settled in Sausalito. Bob attended Tamalpais High School and later the University of San Francisco. While still in college he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army. Robert went on to earn a law degree from U. C. Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. He moved to San Francisco where he met the love of his life, Beatrice Challiss, while clerking for the California Supreme Court. They married in 1962 and had two sons, James Challiss and John Muir Laws. Robert practiced law in San Francisco and Oakland for many years and was eventually appointed as an administrative law judge. He was a respected elder of Calvary Presbyterian Church where he served as Clerk of Session.

Robert worked to protect the powerless, defending civil and voting rights, developing homeless services, and organizing the Presbyterian Church to oppose torture.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 4 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church, corner of Jackson an Fillmore Streets.