On October 29th, after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer, Robert Cabrera passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 72. He was someone who had a boundless energy for his work, travel, skiing and adventure and a deep attachment to friends and family. We will miss him terribly.
Robert was born Roberto Jorge Cabrera in Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 29, 1948. Looking for better economic opportunities, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1961, where his father eventually established a business as a tailor of fine suits for men and taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Robert attended Aviation Career & Technical Education High School before switching to and graduating from Xaverian High School. He was accepted to Hunter College, where he studied art and was an avid painter, though he eventually changed his focus and graduated with a degree in mathematics. Robert worked as a teaching assistant in the New York City public schools and then took graduate courses and taught at Hunter College.
Looking to escape the violence and crime in New York, he moved to the Bay Area in November, 1973, where he applied to UC Santa Barbara’s doctoral program in mathematics, and, as part of the process, was allowed to apply to two other campuses as well. After being accepted to Santa Barbara, he was packing his car to move there when the mailman handed him a letter of acceptance from UC Berkeley. Though he had never expected to get into Berkeley he was awarded a University Fellowship. He unpacked his car and stayed in Berkeley where he earned a master’s degree in mathematics and taught for a time at City College of SF.
While working on his doctoral thesis, Robert got a job doing carpentry and found that he enjoyed working with his hands and building. He abandoned his academic pursuits and began buying properties in Berkeley to renovate. His appreciation for architecture and love of building and remodeling projects was to become his life-long passion. Becoming a licensed contractor he specialized in foundation work and, for a time, relocated to Los Angeles where he worked on designing movie sets, started a floor refinishing business and worked on a number of renovation projects. When he returned to Berkely, he continued developing properties, became active in the Berkeley Property Owner’s Association, eventually serving as president, and was active in the process of passing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. Robert was a mentor to many others, teaching them the construction trades and launching them in their own careers.
Robert married Carol Curtis in 1991 and his daughter, Katalina, was born in 1994. The family spent their summers in the Lot area of France where he enjoyed working on old farm houses and traveling through England and continental Europe. He had a particular love of the history and the architecture to be found in open air museums. The family also spent many weekends on their property on Greenfield Ranch outside of Ukiah, CA, where he was always involved in some kind of building project and loved harvesting the fruit in the orchard.
After an amicable divorce in 2012, Robert found a kindred soul in Anne Harris and moved to San Anselmo. They were married in 2016 at the Marin County Civic Center. Anne inspired Robert to rekindle his interest in skiing which soon became a great passion. The two combined their love of travel with their love of the slopes, and made it their mission to ski all around the globe. They continued spending their summers and part of each fall at their house France.
Robert’s interests were many and varied, and friends found him an interesting conversationalist. Among other things, he enjoyed gardening (he was a life time member of Seed Savers), reading about history, seeking out new wines and good cheeses, and hunting through thrift stores. Although soft spoken, his views on politics were fiercely held. He had a lifelong love of animals, and whenever he encountered a dog or cat on the street, had to stop and make friends. Above all, being with family was important to Robert, and he travelled to Argentina to visit relatives often. Robert was passionate in everything he did, guided always by an unflagging curiosity about the world.
Robert was pre-deceased by his parents Roberto and Elvira Cabrera, and his stepson Morgen Phillips. He is survived by his wife, Anne Cabrera of San Anselmo, CA; stepson, Harris Phillips of Victoria, B.C., Canada; first wife, Carol Curtis and daughter, Katalina Cabrera of Berkeley, CA; and sister, Lillian Sweeney of Meadowbrook, PA. He is laid to rest at the Mt Tamalpais Cemetery and Mortuary in San Rafael, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org/donate.