Lois Robin died peacefully in her home on Friday, October 11, 2024. Although not particularly observant, this coincided with Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.
She passed exactly as she lived her life – completely on her own terms. Radically honest, her maverick independent mindedness could be polarizing, though intended to stir up a good argument, and she was kind and caring beneath that sometimes crusty, feisty, seemingly fearless persona.
Born in Detroit in 1930, Lois grew up in Michigan, spending summers at a beloved summer cottage, attending Antioch College 1948-1951, then moved to California where she earned her BA in Psychology at UCLA and met the father of their two adorable children. She went on to UC Santa Barbara where she earned a Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology, and remained an alumni of Antioch throughout her life. Her fascination with Jungian psychology led to dream work and “shamanic journeys” – expressions of the imaginal realm.
Lois is survived by her children, Jennifer and Daniel, and their spouses, family, friends, artists and co-conspirators. She traveled, created books and photographic exhibits, and published articles and made documentary films aimed at improving the world. Most of her work was environmental or about California Indians. But in her earliest years, she worked with emotionally disturbed and developmentally delayed “special” children, honing her ability to communicate with people who could not express themselves, through symbols and play and seemingly boundless creativity.
Lois gave voice to the voiceless, aided by her close-knit community of colleagues, many of whom collaborated with her on pursuits ranging from whistleblowing (take that, Duke Energy, PG&E and – though he did not know it – Bill Gates!) to countless art projects, including three, one-person shows of her photographs, such as by turning trash into beauty (Flotsam & Jetsam), and two portraits of social injustice and culture clash, Indian Ghosts at California Missions and related We Are Still Here.
As a visionary multi-media artist, she made four films and published stories such as in TimeLife Books, with her last two films , about an alternative paradigm for taking positive action to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, and , which she made because, well, she likes bears. For the record, Lois also loves owls, frogs and dogs. Squirrels… not so much. They liked her apples a bit too much!
She published Mamita’s House: A True Tale of Tortilla Flat (Goodreads), a book about an Indian family that lived in a neighborhood in Carmel, based on the family’s titular heroine who helped them through tumultuous times, a factual account to contrast with Steinbeck’s fictional work. Lois was a dedicated steward of local natural resources, such as serving for 5 years as a Commissioner of the State of California, Santa Cruz County Commission for Fish and Wildlife. Her first film is called , about how property owners living along waterways can make a difference.
At the same time, she enjoyed disturbing the status quo as an environmental activist and served as Chair, for twenty years, of the Sierra Club’s Pájaro River Committee. The Pájaro was voted “most endangered river” in America at that time (2006), following her second film, called Stuck in the Mud: The Pájaro River in Peril. Many of her films and photographs are online at loisrobin.com
A student of psychology and anthropology, Lois was always concerned with how we treat the land and one another, aiming to create new culture. Whether through writing, speaking, or making films or photographic exhibits, Lois expressed her caring and devotion to the natural world, and has done so since her youth. Lois wants to ensure that this planet is more environmentally sound, biodiverse, watered (rainwater capture at her home), like many of us, seeking out the cutting edge of possible solutions.
She felt privileged to explore and express a lifelong interest in our connection to the land and environment, remembering back to the days as a kid swimming in (then clear) Lake Eerie in Michigan. Lois gave all of us her love of language, humor, good food and good storytelling. As per her wishes, her family was able to provide a “green” burial. She will be missed. The spirit of her work lives on.
