Robert Sadler

Robert E. Sadler, "Bob", 80, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2024, surrounded by his loving family at Community Hospital, in Monterey, California. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Bob spent his early years in Connecticut and Massachusetts before he and his wife Sharon moved in 1992 to London, England, for three years and then to San Carlos, California, in 1995. Bob and Sharon, wonderful partners in an amazing and loving 62-year journey, settled in Pacific Grove in 2007 before moving to Del Mesa Carmel in October. Bob was, above all, a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, mentor, teacher, and colleague. Bob was a Vietnam veteran who discovered a love of teaching English literature at a local Vietnamese college on his days off from working as a dog handler. When he returned from the war, he immediately married his high school sweetheart Sharon and became a teacher. Bob taught high school journalism at Westledge School in West Simsbury, CT. Former students remember him as an inspirational and creative teacher. While in Vietnam, Bob also bought his first camera and began to explore photography, learning to capture images of the people and places around him with a keen eye for composition. He shared photos he took with local children who had never had pictures of themselves before. His passion for photography grew deeper over time, and Bob became well-known as a master photographer with a striking ability to use the medium to convey his love of nature and an ability to see the humanity in others. Paired with his storytelling and poetry, his art was appreciated far and wide. Bob spent his life standing with those who needed support in his community and beyond. This began with a years-long fight against racist housing practices in Hartford, in the 1960s and ’70s, and continued in many ways and many places, culminating in his most recent work fighting tirelessly to reform care for seniors in Pacific Grove. Bob combined his art with his drive for justice in the Monterey Peninsula community when he created the Inherent Worth and Dignity Project in 2012. He collaborated with the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP) to take professional portraits of unhoused individuals. Bob connected with each person with empathy and love, seeing their full humanity as he photographed them. Many of the people he worked with felt that being photographed by Bob was “lucky” because they went on to gain employment and housing after seeing themselves so powerfully reflected through his lens. This project continued until the end of his life as he and Sharon worked together to photograph and write the stories of families living in area shelters. Bob was highly involved in the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, where he served a term as board president. His professional life was wide-ranging and impactful; his change management consulting work over many years took him from Connecticut to London and then to Silicon Valley. In recent years, executives from well-known companies came to Monterey to work with Bob at Sadler Consulting. He coached them in executive presence, using a program he developed based on his understanding of team collaboration and business communication. His parents, Robert Sadler, Sr. and Shirley Anderson, predeceased him. He was survived by his beloved wife, Sharon Sadler; his daughter, Jordan S. Sadler (husband Robert Margolis); her children, Ava Sadler-Gordon and Lyle Sadler Gordon; his son, Joshua R. Sadler (partner Erica Johnson); and his younger brother, Jim Sadler and his family. Bob’s meaningful and loving life left a legacy that will impact others for generations. Bob’s family and friends gathered for a Celebration of Life at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25, 2025, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel, CA. Charitable donations were made to the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP) and Interim, Inc. of Monterey County.

Robert Sadler

January 11, 1944 - November 29, 2024