Robert Duncan Kessler
Robert “Bob” Kessler, son of Richard John and Mary Starr Kessler, died peacefully in his home in Woodstock, Vt., on July 7, 2016, surrounded by his loving life companion and wife, Mila Hailperin, family, friends and his three devoted St. Bernard dogs.
With a curriculum vitae as meandering as the mountain creek flowing outside his home, Bob Kessler embraced new opportunities at every juncture in his varied life, writing poetry, defending the rights of persons with disabilities and prosecuting criminals with Rhode Island Attorney General Arlene Violet, serving as an insurance adjuster, managing advertising accounts, cooking at the Deschutes Brewery, training in fast river kayaking, telemark skiing and wildland firefighting in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains.
The many personalities and experiences he encountered gave Bob a keen ability to befriend and help others to overcome some of life’s deepest challenges. That capacity saw Bob engaged as a popular counselor at several residential treatment schools for adolescents, where he served as a liaison between parents and their children. Later, he studied gourmet cooking and fine wine, which turned him toward managing farm-to-table bistros and wine trading along the shores of Idaho’s Lake Pend Oreille and at Gourmandie on Schweitzer Moun-tain.
The third of five children born into the family of a U.S. Navy officer, Bob was raised in Charleston, S.C., Jacksonville, Fla., and Oxon Hill, Md. before his family settled back into life in Portsmouth, R.I. in Narragansett Bay, where his love for the ocean blossomed.
Regularly escaping Aguidneck Island’s hectic summers, he often sojourned with family and dear friends to his family camp on Moosehead Lake, Maine. His time in one of the East’s great forests deepened his love for North America’s wild lands and appreciation for the outdoors that later took him westwards into the Rocky Mountains and Alaska, where he enjoyed many opportunities to hike, camp and ski while also frequently returning east to his beloved Moosehead.
Graduating in 1971 from Portsmouth, Rhode Island’s high school, he received a bachelor of arts degree in creative writing and journalism in 1975 from Syracuse University. He then studied poetry at Brown University, receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1977, producing “Anyone’s Guess: Collected Poems.”
He married Mila Hailperin in Little Compton, R.I., in 1989 and together their common love of the outdoors and the beauty of nature took them on many adventures. As his interests broadened, he attended workshops at the Culinary Institute of America, the American Cheese Society and Zingerman’s seminars to advance his knowledge in fine wines, cheeses of the world, international cuisine and small business management.
Before moving recently with Mila to settle in Vermont, they had resided at Sunny Slope Ranch, nestled among Idaho’s Cabinet Mountains above Lake Pend Orville where he and Mila owned and managed several restaurants in Idaho’s Panhandle including the Old Ice House Pizzeria, the much-loved Hope Market Café and the Bistro at the Inn on Sand Creek. There they created a vast garden of vegetables and fruit to nurture their many friends. Bob also loved to grow flowers and delighted in their beauty and scent.
Bob’s love for travel and exploration saw him visit many European countries where he sampled local cuisine and returned with fresh inspirations. Bob delighted in sharing his passion of fine foods with others. Enjoying nature’s products, particularly its meats and cheeses, together with his many friends, was always important to him.
Bob’s deep love of literature, his extensive life experiences and his great wisdom made him a wise counsel. His much-loved and ever twinkling blue eyes always expressed humor, love and the deep attention he gave his family and friends who frequently sought him out for advice and support.
Bob will be especially remembered for his zest and enthusiasm for life. He lived it to its fullest, embracing all its opportunities as well as its challenges. He touched the lives of everyone he met and will continue to inspire us to live and love more fully. He was a kind, deeply honest and gentle man.
We will all miss him dearly.
A memorial service and celebration of Bob’s life is planned for family and friends for early September.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that you donate to your local humane society.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock, Vt. an online guest book can be found at cabotfh.com
Robert Duncan Kessler, born Boston Naval Hospital in Chelsea, Mass., on Dec. 14, 1952, died age 63, in Woodstock, Vt., on July 7, 2016.