Robin Wood Kurowski

Robin Wood Kurowski passed away peacefully on Friday, August 16, 2024 at Compass Regional Hospice in Centreville, MD after a long, courageous, battle with cancer; she faced it head on, as she did all her challenges, and stoically fought until the end – truly Rock Hall Tough. She was a young 66. Born Helen Robin Wood on February 4, 1958, she was the only child of Cordray Wood of Eastern Neck and Lois “Honey” Crouch Wood of Piney Neck in Rock Hall, MD. Robin was a 10th generation native of Rock Hall on her mother’s side and an 8th generation native of Rock Hall on her father’s side. Befitting for her deep roots, she had a profound devotion to her beloved Rock Hall and her and its heritage, which earned her the affectionate title of Rock Hall Historian. If you wanted to know the history of a building or a workboat, or how much soft crabs sold for in 1972, she could tell you. Quoting Robin from the July/August 2023 issue of Inside Maryland, “Yes, there is a place where you can always go back and feel at home. A place that is nestled in and hugged by the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, corn fields, marshes and where the green grass grows. A place where time and tide make impressions, but the sense of community, fellowship, traditions, preservation, commerce, industry, commitment, hard work, and family have a stronger hold. The place is Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore in Kent County, Maryland.” Robin indeed captured the essence of our great town and its incredible people. Because she was so passionate about Rock Hall, Robin created a blog called The Rock Hall Wave, where she would share photos, videos, articles, opinions, links, info pertaining to the town’s events, causes, happenings, fundraisers, its people, etc. Later, she morphed Rock Hall Wave into a Facebook page where she continued to post and update it until just recently. Additionally, in 2007, she (in conjunction with Joan O. Horsey and R. Jerry Keiser) published Images of America – Rock Hall, which celebrates the town’s history using archival photos depicting Rock Hall harbor, Tolchester Beach, Eastern Neck Island, the Chesapeake Bay and the like, as well as a myriad of locals. She was a member, officer or an avid supporter of various causes and organizations, including but not limited to: Rock Hall Marine & Restoration Heritage Center, Rock Hall Museum, Rock Hall Yacht Club, Rock Hall American Legion – Sgt. Preston Ashley Post 228, Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company, Rock Hall Alumni Association, Kent County Waterman’s Association and Kent County Public Library. She attended the local elementary and middle schools in Rock Hall as well as Kent School in Chestertown. She graduated from Kent County High School in 1976 and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in business management in 1994 from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. She married Edward “Ed” Kurowski on September 10, 1997 in Key West, FL. They resided in Rock Hall. Robin worked as a waitress in the summers at Hubbard’s Pier restaurant in Rock Hall from 1971 to 1975, as a moonlighting waitress at Waterman’s Crab House from1984 to 1989, a store clerk at Tolchester Marina from 1972 to 1978, a teller at Chestertown Bank, and an Accounts Receivable Rep at Wartsila Diesel in both Chestertown and Annapolis from 1989 to 1997. She was part owner and treasurer of Gratitude Yachting Center in Rock Hall from 1997 to 2013, and a yacht broker for S&J Yachts in Rock Hall, where she worked from 2013 until her passing. She also owned and operated Rock Hall Hook Bracelet Company which features unique jewelry which she designed to represent her beloved Rock Hall and Chesapeake Bay. In addition to researching and gathering info about Rock Hall, she loved being in or on the water --boating, sailing, swimming, water skiing, jet skiing, crabbing and/or fishing. She was a decent Rock Hall cook, an equestrian, a Harley girl, a lover of animals, and a sports fanatic (watching & following any, but especially watching/rooting for the Orioles and the Ravens). She loved spending quality time with her family and countless friends. If you were her family member or friend, she was your biggest supporter and cheer leader. Numerous people have revered her as their BFF. She cast a net of tradition, history, love, humor, compassion and kindness; this net created a safe space for so many of us. She was not a bragger, with one exception … her grand “baybees” were the center of her life. Alexia (Lexi) and Lyla Nadel were her sun, moon, stars and heaven on earth. She loved sharing stories, photos and videos of them whenever possible. She was extremely proud of both: Lexi, the thespian, starting college this month in Tennessee and Lyla, an All-Star soccer athlete going into the 10th grade. While Lexi and Lyla are quite different (Lexi, the blonde with a bubbly personality vs. Lyla, the redhead with a fiery spirit), Robin loved them equally and that love was equally reciprocated (much like Robin’s relationship with her own Nana, Mary Wood). One of Robin’s multitude of friends on Facebook posted this about her which sums her up quite nicely. “Rock Hall's Ambassador, Queen of The Crick and Purveyor of Pride & Mischief alike! She was one of a kind and could outwit, outtalk and outlast man or beast! Your light on our shore will never dim... and The Pearl of The Chesapeake will never lose its luster, because a little bit of you lives on in all of us who knew you, loved you and will forever remember you! Fair Winds & Favorable Tides!” Robin is survived by her husband, Ed; daughter, Laura Kurowski Nadel and husband Joe; granddaughters, Alexia and Lyla Nadel; and many cousins and friends. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Rock Hall Yacht Club, 22759 McKinley Road, Rock Hall, MD 21661. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Rock Hall Marine Restoration & Heritage Center, 21083 Chesapeake Ave., Rock Hall, MD 21661 for boat building and restoration projects or the Kent County Waterman’s Association, PO Box 177, Rock Hall, MD 21661 for scholarship and oyster restoration projects, or Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company, PO Box 577, Rock Hall, MD 21661, or Compass Regional Hospice, 160 Coursevall Drive, Centreville, MD 21617, or any of the other organizations listed above.

Robin Wood Kurowski

February 4, 1958 - August 16, 2024