Beloved husband, father, writer and gardener, Robert (Bob) Congreve Knox died Sunday, Sept. 1, surrounded by his family. Born in Queens, NY, on May 3, 1947, and raised in Hempstead, Long Island, Bob met his wife and soulmate Anne 50 years ago in Boston, when she found him deep in a novel instead of working. Together they built a life of books and music, walks and conversation, and raised two children, Sonya and Saul.
As a journalist for the Old Colony Memorial, The Boston Globe, and most recently, the Plymouth Independent, Bob strove to drive attention to the South Shore’s most interesting cultural, environmental, and progressive offerings. A lifelong writer, Bob published two books of poetry – “Gardeners Do It With Their Hands Dirty” and “Cocktails in the Wild” – and was a regular contributor to Verse-Virtual.org and his blog Prose Garden. His published novels include “Suosso’s Lane,” a retelling of the Sacco and Vanzetti case; “House Stories,” about his life in a late-‘60s communal house following his graduation from Yale University, and “Karpa Talesman,” winner of the Prophecy Creek Award for Speculative Fiction.
Bob and his family lived in Plymouth for 20 years, and then spent another 20 in Quincy. Wherever he lived, he planted a garden. In Quincy, he replaced the entire backyard with flowering plants and trees, filled up the front yard with roses and lilacs, and then planted in all the remaining edges he could find.
In addition to his love of chocolate, coffee, books, writing, and baseball, Bob enjoyed long New England hikes and walking along the shore’s edge. His love of words carried through everything he did, from painful puns and witty repartees to silly songs and stories. Bob also enjoyed a weekly yoga practice long before it was trendy, was part of a Plymouth-based writers’ group, and remained politically active in support of progressive causes.
Bob died of cancer at the Mass General Hospital in Boston at the age of 77. He is survived by his wife Anne; his son Saul and his wife Emma; his daughter Sonya and her partner Abby; as well as his siblings, John and Gwen, and beloved nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held for Bob on Friday, Sept. 6, at 11a.m. at the First Parish Milton Church, 535 Canton Ave., Milton, followed by a reception at the same venue. Everyone is welcome. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Bob’s memory to a cause in which you believe.