Robinson “Bob” Lappin, 76, a gentle man, passed away Sept. 23, 2005 at home in Coupeville, following a brief illness. A native of Washington, D.C., he was born on Oct. 19, 1928 to Abner and Beulah Lappin. He graduated from George Washington University. On Aug. 30, 1952, he married the former Joan Marjorie George. He received his law degree from American University in 1953.

Bob served 30 years in the U.S. Navy, from 1953 to 1983, when he and Joan retired to his true home, Coupeville.

Bob began his career as a line officer, serving as Diving Officer, Gunnery Officer and qualifying as Surface Warfare Officer, while serving on the USS John C. Butler (DE 339), out of Long Beach, Calif. After this period of active duty, he continued as a reservist and began to build a private civilian practice as a trial lawyer in Washington, D.C. In the early 1960s, Bob was recalled to active duty and requested appointment for legal duty. (The Judge Advocate General’s Corps had not yet been formed.) His request was approved and he transferred to the Philadelphia Law Office where he began trying cases. He was subsequently assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet out of Naples, Italy, where he continued work as a defense attorney. Bob claimed these cases were the best trial work he had ever seen. His co-workers half-jokingly claimed there was no longer any justice in the Navy.

Due to his extensive experience and expertise, Bob was then assigned to train other lawyers in military justice at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island. His duties included assisting in the establishment of the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps to formalize legal services in the Navy. His children, however, lovingly remember him also taking them out of school to go fishing on “special occasions.”

After this tour, he volunteered for service in Vietnam because he believed in the cause. He served a 13-month tour from 1970 to 1971, earning a Bronze Star medal with Combat “V” for valor.

During his subsequent assignment to Washington, D.C., Bob served as an appellate judge for the Navy’s appellate court system and was assigned to the Office of Legislative Affairs, working with Congress on legislation which affected the Navy. During this tour, Bob made a business trip out to Seattle and fell in love with what he called “the Great Northwest.” Bob then served a tour as the Commanding Officer, Naval Legal Service, Seattle and discovered the unmatched beauty of Whidbey Island.

After having purchased a retirement home in Coupeville, Bob was enticed to return to the East Coast to serve as Commanding Officer of the Naval Justice School in Newport. He retired in 1983 to return to the home he loved.

True to the deep-felt civic spirit he always carried, Bob directed his professional efforts to the betterment of his newfound community. He was appointed to the Coupeville Planning Commission in the late 1980s, and eventually became the chairman, working with the Town Council to strike a balance between development and the open space of prairie and sea. Bob was elected Mayor of Coupeville in November 1990, on a historic preservation platform. Thus began a Camelot of cutting-edge environmental initiatives, coordinated with a foresighted Town Council, such as he had never seen before. Bob and the Council developed committees for Historic Design Review, Water Conservation, and Parks and Recreation, and even created a low-flow toilet rebate program, all designed to preserve and enhance the irreplaceable resources embosomed on the island.

Bob’s term as mayor was cut short due to a serious illness in 1993, but his inspired leadership found outlet again when he joined the Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve in early 1997. Taking this “Trust” seriously, Bob served as Chairman for three of the five years he was on the Trust Board. With Bob at the helm, the Trust Board added to the protection of the Reserve Engle Farms, when it went bankrupt, as well as the Game Farm on Smith Prairie, when it was threatened with development, a total of 500 acres. These complex legal actions required a delicate choreography between the Washington State Legislature in Olympia, lawsuits initiated by environmental groups, and a strong community support network.

His theatrical voice resonating with conviction, his expressive face punctuating his words, Bob was as persuasive when speaking in Olympia as he was in the courtroom. Bob never faltered in his drive to do the right thing.

A gentleman, a fisherman who later in life began to release his catches because they were too beautiful to keep, and a family man, Bob treated everyone with a warm word and respect. He lived in sincerity and fairness, as genuine with strangers as with his family. He is survived by his adoring wife of 53 years, Joan; brother John Sterling, Va.,; son Jonathan of Ketchikan, Alaska and daughter Janet and husband John of Springfield, Va. He was predeceased in May 2005 by his oldest son, Robinson, who is survived by his wife Beth of Pensacola, Florida. Also surviving are nine grandchildren: Christy, Jessica, Patrick, Jonathan, David, John, Carol, Morgan and Solstice.

Bob requested no funeral services be conducted, though a memorial service may be announced at a later date. Burley Funeral Home, Oak Harbor, performed the cremation and the family will disperse the remains in accord with Bob’s wishes. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any favorite charity, the Friends of Home Health Care and Hospice of Whidbey General Hospital, 101 N. Main St., Coupeville, WA 98239 (678-7605) or to the Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, P.O. Box 774, Coupeville, WA 98239 (678-6084).