Bob Haas, a passionate advocate for Dorchester who lived in Uphams Corner for much of his life, died last Friday after a long illness. He was 76 years old.

A legendary civic leader and organizer in the Dudley Street and Uphams Corner section of our neighborhood, Bob also gathered a diverse community of friends from around the world, many of whom lived in his grand Victorian home at 29 Monadnock St., which he cared for meticulously.

He was also an accomplished, classically trained pianist and organist, who performed two full-length concerts at the Strand Theatre. A longtime member of the Back Bay Chorale, Bob was a regular presence at several local congregations, including Holy Family parish.

New Jersey-born, Bob moved to Dorchester in 1971 and immediately set to work helping to improve conditions in and around his home. He was a founding member of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) and the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, the two most important engines of economic renewal and civic life in his part of Boston. He was also on the staff of DSNI for many years.

In his retirement, Bob wrote a memoir of his experiences titled “Monadnock: A Street in a Neighborhood That Almost Died.” In 2018-2019, the Reporter published two lengthy excerpts from the still-unpublished book, which chronicled the history of the Uphams Corner neighborhood and documented his efforts— alongside other dedicated residents— to counter crime, blight, and disinvestment.

"Bob was a tall, big teddy bear," said John Barros, a close friend and former colleague at DSNI. "He was a committed community builder who organized in Roxbury and Dorchester for decades and was a true giant in the community with a big heart and consistent dedication to his neighbors."

Bob traveled the world throughout his life and many of his favorite destinations were the result of his keen interest in the people he befriended in Uphams Corner, including Haitians, Cape Verdeans, and Puerto Ricans.

In his memoir, Bob writes candidly about the challenges that confronted Uphams Corner and the Dudley Triangle in an era fraught with arson, abandonment, and violence. The book, which his friends intend to publish posthumously, is a granular account of the slow, but steady progress that has been made thanks to the persistent work of Bob and his peers.

In one section, Bob wrote: "By 1970, Uphams Corner was in free-fall. The turnover of houses and apartments was accelerating like a train. Stories about the grand days of the past sounded like wild hallucinations. Store owners became hardened cynics. They locked their doors. The neighborhood had nothing going for it. Opinion leaders downtown said it was 'gone.'"

Bob was one of the key people who stopped that "free-fall." Right up until his last weeks, he continued to work hard and care passionately about the future of his beloved neighborhood.

Barros, who lives a block away from Bob's home, is one of several close friends who will work to keep Bob's legacy alive through his home on Monadnock Street. For decades, the house was a gathering place and a guest house for men and women from all walks of life, most of whom were focused on urban planning and community service projects, who would live at 29 Monadnock while studying or working locally,

"He provided a way for people to come here and be part of people staying there who participate in the community," said Barros. "Bob was very clear in his desire and vision for his house to continue to be a place where people could live affordably. He has tasked a number of his friends to realize his vision."

Bob's funeral will take place this Saturday (Dec. 10) at St. Cecelia's Church in the Back Bay. Friends and family may attend a gathering at the church at 9 a.m. in lieu of a wake. The Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. followed by burial at Cedar Grove Cemetery. A repast will follow at DSNI on Dudley Street.

More details on arrangements and Bob's death notice will be available later this week through Murphy's Funeral Home on Dorchester Avenue.