Bruce Paul Robert

A celebration of life will be held at 12 PM on January 21st, 2023 at Sunrise of Cary, 1206 West Chatham Street, Cary NC

Bruce was born August 10, 1939, in East Orange, N.J. to Gerald and Eileen (Krouse) Robert. He graduated from Birmingham High School in Michigan in 1957, then studied at Purdue University. There, he met his wife of 59 years, Betty Van Akkeren. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1961, he served two years as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army 29th Signal Battalion stationed in Dreux, France during the Berlin Crisis.

Bruce and Betty married in 1963, and settled in Central Massachusetts – first Shrewsbury, then Holden – where they raised their two sons. Bruce was an employee of Heald Machine Co. in Worcester for 29 years where he worked as a Design Engineer, Salesman, and Director of Human Resources. When Heald closed in 1992, Bruce was one of the last remaining employees, selflessly guiding his co-workers through the factory closure process. He later worked for Community Healthlink, Inc. in Worcester until his retirement.

Bruce was a passionate photographer, stamp collector, and train buff. He was always busy with D.I.Y. projects and could fix almost anything from home and car repairs to electronics and computers. Bruce and Betty loved traveling, exploring museums and National Parks, and learning about history and culture. They visited all 50 states, and Bruce took thousands of pictures documenting their adventures. For decades, Bruce volunteered his time with the Miss America Scholarship Organization.

Bruce is survived by his wife, Betty Robert, two sons and their spouses; Craig and Mollie Robert of Northborough, Mass., and Scott and Anna Robert of Durham, N.C., and five grandchildren; Samuel, Lauren, Ellie, Caroline, and Julia.

As an expression of sympathy, Bruce’s family welcomes donations to the Alzheimer’s Association: http://act.alz.org/donate or Transitions Hospice: http://transitionslifecare.org/donate.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BrownWynneCary.com for the Robert family.