Dr. Robert Charles Spindel passed away peacefully on January 8, 2025 after a courageous fight with sudden and devastating health issues.

Robert loved and was beloved by family, friends, and colleagues around the globe. He will be remembered for his significant contributions to oceanography, but he was most proud of his family.

He is survived by his lifelong best friend and wife of 58 years, Barbara Sullivan Spindel and their two daughters, Miranda and Jennifer (James Webb). He was a loving grandfather to Aliza; big brother to Donna and Sylvia (Michael Burnside); uncle to two nieces, Rachel (Adam Feldstein) and Megan (Matt McCarthy); and one nephew Matthew (Willa Ng). Robert was also a great-uncle to Sam, Madeline, James, Graham and Noah. He was preceded in death by his parents Isabel Glazer and Murray Tayson Spindel.

Robert was born on September 5, 1944 and raised in Queens, New York. He and Barbara met in high school and became a "we" shortly thereafter. From that point forward, they were rarely apart, building a life filled with love, laughter and prosperity. They married in June of 1966 and together raised two daughters. The girls grew up on Cape Cod, spending summers at the beach playing in the ocean Robert studied and loved. The family moved to Seattle in 1987.

Robert earned a B.E. In Electrical Engineering from the Cooper Union (1965) and his M.S. (1966), M. Phil. (1968), and Ph.D. (1971) in Electrical Engineering from Yale University. Following graduation, he was appointed as a postdoc at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). He stayed at WHOI for 16 years, rising to Senior Scientist and Chair of the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department. He became Director of the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington in 1987 and retired in 2003 as both Professor and Director Emeritus.

Dr. Spindel's primary research interests were underwater acoustics and acoustical oceanography. In addition to authoring or co-authoring over 100 scientific and technical publications and serving as Chief Scientist on many research cruises, he was also a Principal in numerous global ocean acoustic tomography experiments. Over the course of his career, he received honors including the A.B. Wood Medal from the British Institute of Acoustics (1981), the Gano Dunn Award from The Cooper Union (1988), the Technical Achievement Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Oceanic Engineering Society (1990), the Walter Munk Award from the Secretary of the Navy and the Oceanography Society (2001), and the Silver Medal in Acoustical Oceanography from the Acoustical Society of America (2009). He was a Fellow of the IEEE, the Acoustical Society of America, and the Marine Technology Society.

In retirement, Robert continued his lifelong passion for learning and picked up many new hobbies, studying and honing his skills to expert level. His watercolor paintings will continue to brighten many homes, and his bonsai trees may live on for centuries. Some of his other passions included ham radio (K1⚡︎GN), restoring classic sports cars, playing tennis and pickleball and traveling. On one of their adventures, he and Barbara traveled to Vietnam to name and build the John C. Seel kindergarten in honor of their dear friend.

Robert's impact is not something that can be easily summarized. He lived in the true spirit of "tikkun olam": a life of actions that repair and improve the world. He was an inspiration and teacher, and his scientific contributions in the areas of national defense, the environment, and human medicine will have lasting impact. He will be enormously missed. May his memory and well-lived life continue to be a blessing.

A celebration of Robert's life will occur at a future time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to The Cooper Union, where Robert began his studies aided by the benefit of free tuition: https://cooper.edu/giving