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Shelter Island Reporter obituaries: Langdon, Robertson, Taplin

Curtis Robert “Bob” Langdon of Shelter Island died on Sept. 1, 2019 at San Simeon Nursing Home in Greenport. He was 76 years old.

Born in Freeport, N.Y., on Aug. 31, 1943 to Elsie (nee Dunbar) and Curtis R. Langdon, he was raised in Baldwin and graduated from Muhlenberg in Allentown, Pa.

Bob was a combat veteran who served honorably in the United States Navy during Vietnam.

Formerly of Kings Park, he has been a resident of Shelter Island since 1985. Bob had been a banker for 30 years, retiring from North Fork Bank in Mattituck.

In his free time, he enjoyed golfing.

He is survived by his wife Patricia A. Castoldi, and sister, Beverly Hannah of Seaford.

The family has chosen to remember Bob’s life privately.

Memorial donations may be made to the Senior Citizens Foundation of Shelter Island, P.O. Box 352, Shelter Island, NY 11964-0352.

Helen Catherine Perrins Robertson

Helen Catherine Perrins Robertson, a former spouse of Islander Theodore R. Robertson of Big Ram Island and daughter-in-law of Walter C. Robertson, also of Big Ram Island, died of natural causes Aug. 14. She was 97.

Preferring her middle name, Cathy had a “come-as-you-are” spirit that overflowed with fun, love and affection for everyone and everything in her life, her family said. After the birth of two grandchildren, she adopted the nickname “Granny,” which fit her personality to a tee. Born Dec. 26, 1921 to Kodak patent attorney Newton Perrins and Mabeth Russell Perrins, she grew up in Rochester, NY, with her older brother Warren and younger sister Mabeth. A National Honor Society student, she graduated from Charlotte High School in Rochester in 1939.

Head-turning attractive, her family and friends remembered, Cathy finished Middlebury College in 1944 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Recipient of a six-month National Institute of Public Affairs internship in Washington, D.C., she then worked at the Social Security Administration followed by a job with Congressional Quarterly.

There she met Theodore Robertson, the publication’s business manager, whom she wed on May 29, 1948. Shortly afterwards, they moved to Chicago where their only child, Amy, was born.

Eventually, the family returned to the east, settling near Philadelphia where Cathy began a career as homemaker and civic volunteer. Among her appointments were president of the League of Women Voters’ first chapter in Whitemarsh Township, Pa. and chair of the township’s William Jeanes Memorial Library’s advance gifts fund drive.

From the 1950s through the mid-1970s, the destination for any family summer holiday or stay was always Big Ram Island, where Cathy’s father-in-law had a vacation home. Besides instilling a deep love for Shelter Island in their daughter, Cathy shared her love of music and theater with Amy, taking her to more than a score of first-run Broadway musicals and plays during the 1960s and early 1970s.

In 1974 Cathy began work as an assistant administrator with the Eagleville (Pa.) Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. That job, and a later move to Limerick, Pa., helped her start a new life in 1975 after separating from, and eventually divorcing, her husband.

While in Limerick, she was an active member of the Thomas Paine Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in nearby Collegeville and as a re-enactor at the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival in Perkiomenville, which showcases the daily life of 18th and 19th century Pennsylvania Germans. In 2010 she moved to Maryland, residing first with her daughter and son-in-law and later in an assisted living home.

Interment of her ashes will occur Sept. 14 at a 10 a.m. service at the Emily French Cemetery. Survivors include her sister Mabeth Perrins Wilton of Sonora, Calif; grandchildren Trevor R. Johnson of Portland, Ore, and Victoria C. Johnson of Tucson, Ariz.; son-in-law Dennis A. Johnson of Silver Spring, Md.; six nieces; and two nephews. Predeceasing her are former husband Theodore; brother Warren Perrins; and daughter Amy. Memorials may be sent to the Maryland public radio station wamu.org; the Thomas Paine Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Collegeville, Pa. (tpuuf.org); and goschenhoppen.org.

Lynn Marie Taplin

Lynn Marie Taplin, born on Dec. 18, 1952, passed away on May 29, 2019.

A beloved sister, wife, daughter and friend. Lynn, was preceded by her parents, Lois and Joe, sister Karen, and brothers Mark and Scott. She leaves behind her husband John, stepson Adrick, siblings George, Terry, Jill and Bruce, as well as several close nieces and nephews.

Lynn moved from Shelter Island to attend college, and then onto Minneapolis, Minn., where she opened a successful private family law practice, which she ran for 30 years. She was well known for her independence and strong passion for travel, visiting 35 different countries over the course of her life.

Married at 60, Lynn spent the last seven years of her life retired with her husband John in Costa Rica.

There will be a memorial service held on Shelter Island on Saturday, September 14 at the Center Firehouse at 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend.