Rand K. Robbin, 86

Randolph Knute Robbin, 86, was born in Kalispell on Feb. 15, 1938, to Walter Clifford and Nita Genevieve (Zumwalt) Robbin.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Nita Alexandra "Sandra" Robbin. 

Rand died suddenly at home of natural causes related to his heart on Sept. 30, 2024. Shortly thereafter, he was interred at Conrad Memorial Cemetery in a private family service. 

Rand is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 64 years, Linda Leslie Robbin, and his two daughters and their families, Marca and Dave Gibson, Holt, Gage and wife Alyssa; and Tia and Dan Wilson, and Liv. Other surviving relatives include cherished Leslie family in-laws, as well as Elaine (James, deceased) Robbin, and many Robbin cousins. He is also survived by his best friend since eighth grade, Harold Farris and his wife JoAnn, who were Rand and Linda’s best man and matron of honor in 1960 and have always been family. Rand loved all of us so much. We loved him more, but he’d never concede the point.

Whether plowing a field or carving a walking stick, Rand was always learning, creating, and thinking. He was a quiet, humble person and loved a good chuckle. He was a thoughtful, generous friend to those who knew him and a man of integrity and kindness to all. Rand didn’t want others to make a fuss over him, except if you wanted to bring him a homemade pie or anything chocolate. He was a gentle steward of the land and the animals in his purview, domestic or wild. Yes, you might hear him cursing the wild turkeys for leaving droppings in the grain troughs—again—or the white-tails for stealing hay from the stacks; but the next harsh winter day, he’d scatter a little extra feed to help them survive the cold, along with the Herefords.

Rand completed his education at Flathead High School, the University of Montana (B.A. and M.A. Art), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (M.F.A. Printmaking). His works are included in the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art, as well as the Seattle Art Museum and Canton Museum of Art, among others.

In 1974, he retired early from teaching art and art history at Skagit Valley Community College and returned to Montana to ensure his girls — and later, his grandchildren — experienced the land, animals, and ranch life, that he cherished. He continued creating art from his studio at Robbin Hereford Ranch. These endeavors were celebrated at his retrospective art show at the Wanda Hollensteiner Gallery in the Wachholz Center of Flathead Valley Community College in spring 2024. He was deeply moved by the outpouring of appreciation for his work, which had gone largely unseen and unrecognized for many years.

Rand was a scholar of local history and enjoyed writing. He had always intended to publish a book. Unfortunately, he is gone too soon to know that his works will be published posthumously this spring in a book he had titled, "Man from Rose Creek: My Life and Other Stories Too Good to be True." It is a mixture of local history, family lore, memories, poetry, and photographs of selected artworks and life in early Bigfork. 

Rand’s family will host a celebration of life at the Northwest Montana History Museum, 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell, on May 25 at 2 p.m. We invite all who knew Rand to join us. If you feel inclined to give in his memory, supporting the preservation of local history or the humane treatment of animals would’ve been at the top of his list.