Robert W. Surber, MSSW
After battling cancer, Robert W. Surber, MSSW, passed away at the age of 71 in Kailua, Hawaii during the early morning of June 27, 2016, with the loving support of his family and his wife Diane by his side.
Born in Indianapolis, Ind., Surber earned degrees from Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin. He settled in San Francisco in 1971, beginning a long career serving the people of the City and County of San Francisco as a social worker and leader in public mental health care policy and planning. A tireless advocate for improving access for all to quality mental health care services, Surber served in the Department of Psychiatry at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) from 1975-1996, rising to become Chief Psychiatric Social Worker and Deputy Chief of Psychiatry at SFGH. He further served the San Francisco community as an Associate Clinical Professor at the UCSF teaching social work and mental health students, while also participating in research and writing, including editing a text book on clinical case management.
After retiring, Surber continued to support the Bay Area mental health community as a consultant for Health and Human Services. His work extended to Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe where he had many associates and colleagues.
Moving to Hilo, Hawaii, in 2006, he realized his dream of living in "warm on warm"-warm weather on warm water. He loved adventure and spent many months traveling with his wife Diane to Southeast Asia, Japan, Europe and India. Until his death, Surber consulted with local Hawaiian mental health agencies to improve quality of services; particularly for the seriously and persistently mentally ill and the homeless.
He is survived by his wife Diane Robinson (Hawaii), siblings Richard and Ruthann (Indianapolis), children Robert Jr. (San Francisco and Oslo), Geir Alexander (Oslo), Justin (San Francisco), Christine (San Francisco), and grandchildren Mina, Mia, Mathilde, and Holly.
All friends and colleagues are invited celebrate his life on Sunday, July 24, from 4 to 7pm at Cala Restaurant, 149 Fell St., San Francisco.
