Aubin Knight Barthold
Obituary
Aubin Knight Barthold, December 20, 1945 – February 28, 2023. Aubin died peacefully at Seattle’s Swedish Hospital First Hill Campus, just a few blocks from where he was born. He enjoyed a happy childhood in Medina (Evergreen Point)—he liked to say that he was the first person ever to barefoot waterski on Lake Washington. Proud of his family’s deep ties to the fishing industry, he became a deckhand on the Balena, a trawler operating out of Naknek, Alaska, days after graduating from Lakeside School in 1964. He then obtained degrees from Stanford University and the George Washington University Law School. Upon admission to the California State Bar, in 1973, he joined a prominent law firm in San Francisco. He spent the next three decades engaged in high-stakes commercial litigation on behalf of clients that included Lloyd’s of London and the Bechtel Corporation. (“Lawyers of his caliber don’t become available very often,” said one attorney, when Aubin joined a new firm in the 1990s.) His children successfully launched to college, he returned home to Seattle in 2003, where he continued his law practice, then started a new career in real estate, and then retired. Aubin was a great bon vivant. He loved golf and cars, art and antiques, London hotels and Hawaiian beaches. He loved people—his friends, his colleagues, and, above all, his two sons, Blake and Cory, his daughter-in-law, Cynthia, and his grandchildren, Alex, Max, and Beatrix, on whom he doted with superlative affection. He was very sharp, the sort of man who does the crossword in ink. More than that, he was mild and merciful. He saw the bright side in everything. Later in life, his faith deepened and matured, as he prepared to return to his Lord. He will be deeply missed by the parishioners of Epiphany Seattle, where he made many close connections, and touched many hearts, in his final years. That loving community, along with Aubin’s many friends and his family, will celebrate his life during a funeral mass on April 3, at 11:00 am, at 1805 38th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122. Donations in his name can be made to Epiphany Seattle.
Aubin was my dear friend for almost 70 years and waterskiing buddy all through our childhood. He was one of a kind and will be sorely missed by me and many others. RIP my friend!
Aubin truly did have a gentle soul, a quick smile, a wonderful sense of humor, and a beautiful inner light. I am very sorry for his family and for our loss. The world lost a good one with Aubin.
Aubin and I served together at Epiphany. He was always positive and encouraging to all those who met him. And he wore bow ties!
I knew Aubie at Lakeside and then saw him again at a recent Lakeside alumni affair. Besides smart he was kind, never stuck up and I never heard him say anything negative about any one else. In high school I remember the girls all liked Aubie. As I recall he had some concussions playing football and we missed him on the team. My sincere sympathies to his family and friends.
This world has lost a sweet, gentle soul. Aubin was a colleague of mine at the firm in San Francisco, as well as a fellow member of the Piedmont Community Church. A nicer lawyer I’ve never known. Once, when I visited him in Seattle, I had the great pleasure of sitting next to him in one of his favorite coffee places, watching him complete a difficult crossword puzzle in about 2 minutes – as fast as he could enter the letters into the puzzle, which was so, so fast. Aubin, my dear friend, you are deeply missed.