Monday, November 20, 2023
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Bob was a great friend and mentor to me for over twenty years. I had the very good fortune of meeting Bob at an industry trade show - he happened to be manning a booth right next to ours (the West Virginia High Tech Foundation). What started out as a simple professional conversation about what we both did evolved into discussions about whether or not he'd be interested in taking a job with the Foundation (once I learned that he and Sharon lived in Buckhannon, WV). What a great turn of events when he said he was interested. His breadth and depth of experience were evident from Day 1, and his contributions to the Foundation were outstanding. More importantly, he took me under his wing and provided great wisdom in organizing and managing a rapidly growing organization. He not only mentored me, but he did the same for many others. He loved to see people reach their full potential and excel. His ability to analyze situations and identify paths forward and meaningful solutions to problems was unparalleled. What started out as a business relationship quickly evolved into something much deeper.
One of the first acts of friendship was Bob's invitation to me and my son Nathan to come to his farm/cabin for deer hunting season. We were fully accepted into Bob's circle of friends during that trip, spending a few nights in the camp, drinking a little shine (me, not Nathan), getting up early for fresh-brewed coffee, freezing our buns off in the outhouse, etc. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. He tolerated us two city slickers nearly getting lost in the adjoining National Forrest, and wisely told us "next time, carry a compass!". Bob did the same for my younger son Ben a few years later.
From the personal relationship with Bob, a family relationship was born. Bob and Sharon always treated Liz and me to great times in and around Buckhannon. From seeing murder mysteries at the Gandy Dancer Theater in Elkins (and one on a train that left from Elkins), to birthday celebrations and smoking cigars either on his porch, in his man-cave (or any other sittin' place), we shared many great times.
I had the good fortune of spending October 7th of this year with Bob driving to his farm and sitting on the porch. A fall outing to "just drive" was something we did last year and this year. It was special because we could drive, talk, or just be. During this year's trip, Bob shared with me that during the past six months, he had spent a significant amount of time praying, listening to Christian TV shows, and pondering life. He said that he believed God had kept him alive a bit longer than he had anticipated because he still had a mission for him, and that was for him to be a mentor to his grandkids and great grandkids. He might not have gotten all the time he had hoped for to do this, but if God's timing is to be trusted, he got enough.
If you look closely at the picture of the cabin - you'll see an orange hunting cap; little did I expect this would be the last time I'd see Bob. That day is a memory that will be cherished forever.
God Bless Bob - hopefully God allows smoking cigars in heaven. If so, my guess is they'll be of the type that we don't have to keep relighting.
Your friend - Brad
