Rob Silver: Beloved Napier school counsellor remembered for compassion, kindness
A beloved Napier school counsellor has been remembered as “larger than life” and someone who helped countless students, often during their hardest moments.
Rob Silver, 65, was a guidance counsellor at Napier Boys’ High School for 17 years.
He died on July 19 after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in April.
A flood of tributes have been paid over the past week, led by past and present students and their families.
“His kindness, humility, and unwavering compassion changed the course of our son’s journey, and for that we will be forever grateful,” one of many posts about Silver read.
His daughter, Kina Stephenson, said he was an amazing man.
“Everything about him was larger than life.
“His way with people, his kindness, nothing was too much trouble.
“He would help everyone to the point we would be like ‘dad ... you are allowed to not do everything’.”
Silver worked for a time as an electrician, served as a youth pastor alongside his wife, Eth, and was a qualified teacher, working at Hastings Intermediate and Tamatea Intermediate before starting at Napier Boys’ as a fulltime counsellor.
He was also heavily involved in canoe polo in Hawke’s Bay, and served as a prison chaplain volunteer at Hawke’s Bay Prison.
His family said his Christian faith was a motivator behind all he did.
Napier Boys’ High School shared a heartfelt tribute soon after his death.
“His booming laugh, contagious enthusiasm, and welcoming smile were constants across our school,” the tribute read.
“Whether he was guiding young men through their hardest moments in counselling, inspiring students in the classroom, or driving our canoe polo teams to national success year after year, Rob was an absolute champion for our young men.”
Eth Silver, his wife of 45 years, said “he was about people” and had no plans to retire.
She said he would go above and beyond to help others, often making home visits and meeting with students and their families outside school hours.
She said he was not “airs and graces” and was a humble man, who would have been embarrassed by the attention.
She said they had received a huge number of kind messages, and heard many fond memories from those he impacted.
Hundreds of people attended his funeral at Engage Church on Saturday.
Silver grew up in Levin but lived in Napier with his family since the early 1990s.
He is survived by his wife, two children, two grandchildren, and two sisters.