Obituary of Robert A. Navias

Robert Alexander Navias, 84, of Honeoye Falls, NY, died on February 1, 2010 peacefully at home. A Memorial Service will be held, Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 2 pm at Farmington Friends Church, 187 County Road 8 in Farmington, NY. Bob was born April 18, 1925, in Schenectady, NY to Louis and Adelaide Navias. He served in the infantry during WW II in Germany, and received several military awards. He married Elaine Kaufman Navias on June 27, 1951, on Star Island off the Cost of New Hampshire. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, NY. with a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1950, and earned a Master of Science Degree 1952 from Pennsylvania State University at State College, PA. He received a second Masters Degree in Geology from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. in 1961. He has worked in the Department of Geology & Mineralogy at Harvard University, as a geologist in Colorado for the Climax Molybdenum Company, and for several building construction companies in the Rochester, NY. area. In his retirement years, he worked part-time as a freelance consulting geologist, mainly for sand and gravel operation, and served as the geologist expert witness in several trials. As a young man in Colorado he hunted deer, and in Massachusetts was active in target-shooting club. In the Rochester area he turned to a different kind of shooting: with a camera. He was a member of Camera Rochester, in which he held several offices over the years, and his photos frequently won awards at shows. In retirement he also became increasingly interested in local archeology, especially of early pre-Indian settlements and culture in the upstate area. He was a member of the Morgan Chapter of New York State Archaeological Association, for which he prepared and gave a number of research papers. He had a particular interest in using his knowledge of geology to identify the origin of stone artifacts such as projectile points (often mis-referred to as 'arrow heads.') He was active in the Honeoye Falls Historical Society and chaired the Honeoye Falls Planning board for a number of years. He appreciated classical and folk musical and was an avid listener of WXXI, Rochester's classical radio station. He is survive by his wife, Elaine Navias; four children: Rebecca Navias Atwood (Barry) of Broadway, VA; Susanna Perkins (Mark) of Winter Park, FL; Geoffrey Robert Navias (Jennifer Hamlin) of Syracuse, NY; and Mathilda Navias (Dan Bell) of Tiffin, OH; 14 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild; and his brother, Eugene Navias of Boston, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to Farmington Friends Meeting toward the hymnal fund (Music Committee). Send to Farmington Friends Meeting, 187 County Road 8, Farmington, NY 14425-7026. For more information call the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker), Farmington Meeting, at (315) 986-5559.