Argyle Highway Superintendent Robert W. Humiston Passes Away

By Craig Mongeau - January 2020

Robert W. Humiston, 67, passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 17, 2019, due to a car accident. Four other people were hurt, two seriously, in the crash that occurred around 8:45 a.m. at the entrance to The Auction Barn restaurant, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Three of them were Argyle highway department employees. It was snowing at the time of the crash, and the collision appeared weather-related, police said.

“He was a guy who had been involved with the town since he was a kid,” Argyle Supervisor Bob Henke said. “We are all broken-hearted.”

Crews from neighboring towns, including Hartford and Kingsbury, Washington County highway crews and the Fort Edward highway department worked together to help clear Argyle roads of snow as the town workers dealt with the tragedy.

“There was a horrible accident today in Argyle that has pretty much disabled their highway department,” Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff wrote on Facebook. “Hartford will assist them in snow plowing their roads near our border. Please forgive if our roads take longer to clear with this snowfall as we now have more miles to do.”

Born on July 9, 1952, in Glens Falls, Mr. Humiston was the son of the late Charles and Mildred (Nesler) Humiston. He graduated from Argyle High School in 1970, and on Nov. 2, 1974, he married Esther Potts at the Argyle Methodist Church.

For 16 years, Mr. Humiston enjoyed working for the town of Argyle as the highway superintendent and was the president of the highway association. He was on the Argyle school board for 25 years and served on the Argyle Youth commission board for more than 20 years. Mr. Humiston was a coach for various youth programs in Argyle and was a member and served on the board at the Argyle Methodist Church. Every year he enjoyed helping at the election night dinner.

Mr. Humiston enjoyed farming, traveling and going on vacations to Maine and Myrtle Beach. On his vacations, he enjoyed swimming in the ocean with his children and grandchildren. He loved his yearly hunting trip to Pennsylvania with the Carrington family and his trips to Ithaca with the highway association. He was always a man who was willing to help anyone who needed it.

Left to cherish his memory include his wife of 45 years, Esther; his children, Jason (Allyson) Humiston, Joshua (Kielty) Humiston, Jared Humiston and his wife, Denise; his grandchildren, Tyler and Kylee, Raegan and Wyatt, Hunter and Mason; his nieces and nephews, Richard Potts and his wife, Julianna, Amy Tsueda, Aaron (Arlene) Potts; his great nieces and nephews, Venessa, Anna, Owen, Xavier and Addison; his brother-in-law, Enrique Potts; his sister-in-law, Ruth Johnsen.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr. Humiston memory can be made to Argyle Youth Commission, P.O. Box 38, Argyle, NY 12809 or to J.A. Barkley Hose Company No. 1 Inc, P.O. Box 263, Argyle, NY 12809. ?