Robert Thomas Pope

Robert Thomas Pope Robert Thomas Pope drifted into death while in a hospital overlooking the coastal wetlands in Encinitas, CA early in the morning on August 15, 2015. With love in his eyes and beautiful memories in his heart, he leaves behind his beloved wife of 33 years, Laura Ellen Pope, and adored sons, Nathaniel Jay and Benjamin Thomas. He is also survived by his father Thomas Jay, two brothers David Bruce (Maureen) and Daniel Jay, nephew, David William, and niece, Catherine Marie as well as numerous other family and friends. His mother, Robina Marie, and his brother Ronald Arthur preceded him in death. Borrowing his own words to describe his childhood, Robert was born on February 15, 1954, a wintry day in Laramie, Wyoming while his father was attending the University of Wyoming. After his father graduated, he lived in Cedar Falls, Iowa for two years and then Kansas City, Kansas for another two years before putting down roots in Broomfield, Colorado where he resided through third grade. As a young boy, he had a wide range of hobbies and interests. Prominent among them were membership in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, an avid indulgence in model rocketry, participation in Little League Baseball and football, and an enjoyment of science fiction books. From 1963 to 1965, he became a die-hard Phillies fan while he and his family lived in Charleston Township, Pennsylvania. They then returned to Broomfield, where he was a member of the Sing-Out Colorado musical group, a regional unit of the international Up with People Movement. He attended Broomfield High School. At the age of 15, he co-founded Century Productions, a successful entertainment company, promoting rock concerts. In August, 1971 he moved to Ventura, California where he graduated from Buena High School. He graduated with a BA in Economics from Claremont Men’s College where he took a range of classes, performed in some plays and produced others. He went on to graduate from USC Law School during which time he met and married Laura Marshall, a graduate student at UCLA. He practiced law in San Diego for more than 30 years, mainly as a sole practitioner, Law Offices of Robert T. Pope, assisting innumerable clients. A family man of faith, his primary purpose was to uplift mankind by instilling in individuals the basic virtues of positivism, open-mindedness, hard work, and concern for other people. Indeed, he helped and counseled people in all aspects of their lives as much as he could. In recent years, he was called upon to do this on a volunteer basis, and for example, greatly enjoyed tutoring junior high school students. He was a dedicated father, loyal husband, hockey and soccer coach, a passionate Broncos fan, an avid Padres fan, certified scuba diver, expert skier, and he also enjoyed fishing, cooking, music, acting and watching movies. Memorial information is pending. In lieu of flowers, friends and families may donate to the charity of their choice. Robert’s favorites were Casa de Amistad in Solana Beach (http://casadeamistad.org/), Encinitas Community Resource Center (http://www.communityresourcecenter.org/), and Sing Out (www.singout.org/secure/donate-cc-ssl.html).