Robert Earle Knowlton

Gainesville, Virginia - On Monday June 16, 2025, Dr. Robert Earle Knowlton, loving husband and adored father of two daughters and grandchildren, passed away at 85.  Bob was a kind, quiet, compassionate and humble man.  His lifelong passion was marine science.  His curiosity and enthusiasm for all things nature never waned.  That passion led to a life dedicated to teaching as a professor at two universities.  With thoughtful actions and a caring heart, Bob embraced family, friends, students, and organizations dedicated to lessening the suffering of both humans and animals.  Bob was immensely proud of his grandchildren, always prioritizing and loving them deeply.  Gifted with perfect pitch, music was woven throughout his life, whether playing the piano or through song.  He incorporated it in teaching marine science courses by carefully selecting music for each lecture.  Bob was also known for his dry wit and enjoyed including on tests “The Far Side” cartoons perfectly matching the study organisms.  

Though born in Summit, New Jersey, it was his family’s now 125-year connection to their coastal Maine property that would shape his life.  At only sixteen, he started at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.  An intellectual and shy student, he joined the marching band, glee club, yearbook staff and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.   In college, he immediately gravitated toward science in every form, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts cum laude and Biology summa cum laude for his senior thesis.  That project began a lasting dedication to researching snapping shrimp.  Bob then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a PhD researching both snapping and grass shrimp.  While in graduate school Bob met and, in 1963, married his love and wife of 59 years, Dorothy.  In 1965, he began teaching marine invertebrate zoology at his alma mater Bowdoin, proud to start his career in the same department as his college mentors.  His deep connection with Maine endured even after moving to Arlington, Virginia to teach at The George Washington University in 1972.  In addition to a lifetime of summer visits to Deer Isle, he designed a summer field course combining lecturers from Bowdoin and three other coastal Maine academic institutions.  For decades he would alternate between teaching the Maine summer course and another he developed on tropical marine ecology in San Salvador, Bahamas.  He created these, and many weekend field trips, because he loved teaching outside the classroom where students could truly experience the wonder of the marine environment.  Bob was a well published researcher, often collaborating with colleagues, and frequently presenting at conferences, including internationally.  Throughout his 42-year teaching career, “Dr. Bob” was a mentor to many and often became a paternal influence as well.   In retirement, he wrote a field manual so others could teach his Bahamian course and was invited three times to be an editor on a science and technology encyclopedia set.  For the last twenty years of his time with Dorothy they enjoyed extended summers at the Deer Isle family property, cherishing time with daughters, grandchildren, niece, nephews, extended family and friends.  

In college his middle name was misspelled as “Eagle.”  Upon returning from field trips, he would always call Dorothy to let her know he had returned safely, saying “The eagle has landed.”  With his passing, Bob is now at peace with his brilliant mind restored, his body freed from suffering and safely returned to Dorothy one last time.  The eagle truly has landed.  

Bob was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy Smith Knowlton, parents Alfred Douglas and Siri Swanson Knowlton, and brother Bruce Douglas Knowlton.  He is survived by daughters Julie and Kathy, and two grandchildren Steven and Katelyn.  The family will host a private celebration of life at a future date. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Island Heritage Trust (online www.islandheritagetrust.org/ or by mail: PO Box 42, Deer Isle, Maine 04627).

The Knowlton Family would like to give the outstanding staff of The Wellington at Lake Manassas our sincerest gratitude for the care they provided Bob the last year and a half of his life.  On a daily basis, we saw countless acts of kindness, patience, humor, creativity and respect.  The staff are extremely passionate about their work with the residents as well as their family.  We are forever grateful that Bob’s journey ended among people that loved him so much.