| Obituary | 11 December 2018 | 11 December 2018, Obituary:. On December 5, 2018 of Washington Twp. Age 87. Beloved husband of the late Virginia Lee (nee Picker). Devoted father of Alan, Karen Evans (Robert, III), Linda Kukolich (Stephen), and JoAnne Barnum (Harry). Loving grandfather of Beth, Megan, Laura, Andrew, Stephanie, Peter, Timothy and Vylette. Proud great-grandfather of Blaise, Rilla, Audrey, Felix, and Genevieve. Dear brother of Louie, Nancy Goren, and Louise Specht. Loved by many nieces and nephews.
Robert Byron Webb, a born leader, entered this world on April 27, 1931 in Albany, CA to Wells Alan Webb and Catherine Janes Webb. He grew up with his sister Nancy and brother Louie on Albany Hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay. His parents divorced when he was 12. This gave Robert the chance to improve his cooking while caring for his siblings as their older brother. After high school, he got a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from University of California in Berkeley. Then he made the big move across the country to take a job with RCA in Camden, NJ. He worked there building computers in the mid 50s. A group of RCA engineers joined the singles group at the Presbyterian church in Haddonfield, NJ, where he met Virginia (Ginny) Picker, a long time Haddonfield resident. They were married on December 27, 1957. Their first son, Bruce, aka Alan, came in October, 1959. They bought a house in Whitman Square (Turnersville, NJ) soon after. Three daughters were born after that, Karen (September, 1961), Linda (May, 1964), and JoAnne (July, 1967), filling their house with joy.
Professionally, Robert moved from RCA Camden to RCA Moorestown. As a designer of the electrical power supply for the Aegis radar system, he went on frequent business trips to Navy yards around the country. The most memorable trips were for shock trials, where explosives were set off beside the ships to test the system in combat-like maneuvers. He often would bring one of the kids along when he flew to Anaheim, CA via San Francisco so that they could visit with the “West Coast” Webbs while they were young. Eventually, RCA was bought by General Electric. Robert retired from there as a manager in 1991. He filled his time quickly with part-time work in tax preparation for H&R Block.
He was busy not only with work, flying around the country, but also with volunteering at home. In each capacity he rose to leadership as he stepped forward to serve others. He was a charter member of the Whitman Square Fire Department in Washington Twp., South Jersey, which was founded in 1962. He faithfully served as their Treasurer from 1988-2010. He was a leader of the Whitman Square Swim club. When Alan joined the Boy Scouts, Robert became a scout leader and then scout master for his troop. He was a pillar of his church, The First Presbyterian Church of Pitman, NJ. He served as an elder, as Clerk of Session, and as Treasurer. His leadership extended to serving on committees for the West Jersey Presbytery. In his retirement, he decided to take his skills in tax preparation to AARP where he volunteered for over 25 years. He stepped forward as a leader there too by becoming the Coordinator for Gloucester County. He received the Tax-Aide Fellow award, the highest award offered to their Tax-Aide volunteers.
Robert and Ginny enjoyed traveling the world in their early retirement. They flew to Hawaii, China, and twice to Moldova. They were in Russia in Red Square for May Day just after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992. They enjoyed being part of Friendship Force International which provides opportunities to explore new countries and cultures from the inside by bringing people together at a personal level. Their last excursion was to Morocco in July of 2009. There they visited with their eldest daughter Karen and her family. Karen and her husband were teachers at a private high school in Casablanca.
During the trip, Robert noticed a change in Ginny. After 52 good years of marriage, he noticed how often she was forgetting things. Then one day she forgot where she was. Ginny, a bright, outgoing, good-hearted mother, social-worker, and craftswoman, had mild cognitive impairment. Later, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He lovingly and faithfully cared for her throughout her decline. Despite the challenges of being a caregiver, he continued to be a servant to others in his volunteer service at the church, the Fire Hall, and AARP tax volunteers. On June 5, 2016, he said goodbye to his wife of 59 years.
His greatest pride were his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Alan, divorced, had Timothy Webb. Karen, married to Robert Evans, had four children-Beth Lefebvre who is married to Roland and has one child, Rilla; Megan Reid who is married to Taylor and has two children, Blaise and Felix; Laura Clapper, who is married to Thomas and has two children, Audrey and Genevieve; and Andrew Evans who is married to Emma. Linda, married to Stephen Kukolich, had 2 children, Stephanie and Peter. JoAnne, married to Harry Barnum, has one child, Vylette. Robert made sure he was there for each high school and college graduation for his grandchildren. He flew out every year to Minnesota to hold his great grandchildren. He loved being an active part of Vylette’s life and was steadfast in his care for her.
The final two years of his life were full of life. He flew around the country visiting with every family member he could in the summer of 2016. He travelled to weddings and journeyed to Minnesota to visit with the Evans family. He continued to serve others. He said that God had been good to him. Still, he felt a void in his life. In his winter years, he sprung to life again when he fell in love with Lynn Rose, a fellow tax aide volunteer. Though his own heart was failing, he was young at heart. He gleefully asked her to be his girlfriend in April, 2018. They shared precious time together until he passed away on December 5, 2018.
On October 29, 2018 he was hospitalized for atrial fibrillation. His blood pressure dropped dangerously low. Despite the challenges, he kept a firm hand and directed his care. He explained how he wished to spend his last moments and kept everything in order for his passing. His family gathered around him. He pulled through, going home to hospice. He had the blessing of a full month to laugh again, to share his love with others. On December 5th, his heart suddenly stopped. He closed his eyes one last time, held by Linda and gazing at Lynn.
Even in his last days, he never lost the spring in his step. Full of life, He will be remembered as a leader, a friend, beloved by his family and those around him.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his viewing Thursday 6:00-8:00 pm at the Egizi Funeral Home, 119 Ganttown Rd., Washington Twp. Funeral service 8:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Robert’s memory may be made to The Whitman Square Fire Co., 131 Johnson Road, Turnersville, NJ 08012. |