Robert S. Macfarlane, Jr.

Robert “Robbie” Stetson Macfarlane, Jr. was born at home in Broadmoor, Washington on October 13, 1932, to Robert Stetson Macfarlane and Vivian Clemans Macfarlane. He died on August 24, 2025, due to complications from a fall he suffered while boating in May, 2016.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Janet “Jan” Caroline Clayton Macfarlane, their two sons, Robert Stetson Macfarlane, III and Duncan Clayton Macfarlane, Duncan’s wife Giselle Macfarlane and his two grandchildren, Ruby Jeanne Macfarlane, and Cameron Robert Macfarlane. He is pre-deceased by his three sisters, Anne Jones, Mimi Griggs, and Vicki Martinez.

Robbie attended Lakeside grade school in Seattle, Washington and later Hotchkiss Prep School in Salisbury, Connecticut. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University in Arts and Archaeology in 1954. Robbie went on to study theology, first at San Francisco Theological Seminary, California, then at the University of Edinburgh, New College, Scotland, next at the Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, and finally at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he received a Masters in Divinity in 1958.

Robbie and Jan were married in 1958 and he took a three-point charge with the Presbyterian Church in Lamoure, North Dakota. In the years following he served in various capacities in the Presbyterian Church including assistant minister at the Burlingame Presbyterian Church in California and the Larchmont Presbyterian Church in New York and later joined the Presbyterian Board of Missions.

In 1972 he moved to Los Angeles, California having accepted the position of President of the Norton Simon Foundation. He greatly enjoyed working with Norton Simon as the role encompassed both his philanthropic nature and his love of art. Ever the student, Robbie went to the University of Southern California Gould School of Law where he received a Masters in Law in Foundation Law in 1979.

He went on to co-found Consultants on Corporate Giving and worked with the Seaver Institute, the Durfee Foundation, and the Sovereign Fund among others. Robbie worked on many projects with the common theme of there being no common theme, i.e., funding brilliant ideas was what was important.

Robbie and his good friend Dave Meid founded the Meid Macfarlane Foundation, later the Macfarlane Foundation. Robbie was a long time board member of the Friday Harbor Labs, and the Henry Gallery, both at the University of Washington. Robbie’s legacy includes the Macfarlane Faculty Lounge and the Macfarlane Transportation Collection at the University of Washington School of Law, the Macfarlane Art Studio at the Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island, Washington and the David H. Meid Visiting Mentor Program at the University of Southern California’s Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, California.

Robbie was an avid boater all of his life from sailing his first sailboat (that he built himself) on Lake Washington, to cruising the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay. As a boy he cleaned the docks at the Seattle Yacht Club out station in Port Madison on Bainbridge Island and sailed to Desolation Sound with his family. He also sailed with the Singlehanded Sailing Association in Marina Del Rey, California enjoying many weekends racing to Catalina Island and back.

His other pastime was golfing, where he was a scratch golfer in his younger years and always competitive. He was a member of Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree, Arizona where he landed several holes-in-one and always enjoyed the camaraderie of his pals in the Lunch Bunch.

Robbie died peacefully with his wife Jan and their Scottish Terrier, Dr. Watson, by his side.

Loch Sloy!