After being diagnosed with an infection between his stomach and pancreas, Robert Leroy Southwood told doctors, “I want to fall asleep and not wake up,” after having what he described as “a good long life.” He held on quite a while after that for his family and his Detroit Tigers. (Though we’re pretty sure it was mostly for the Tigers improbable playoff run, to see how far they’d get!) He got his wish, and took himself out of the lineup early in the morning of October 16, 2024.
Bob was born in Petoskey, Michigan May 9, 1932 to William (Bon) Southwood and Rose (Mindel) Southwood, in a house, literally in the house, which they did back then, right on Little Traverse Bay. They soon moved to just across the street and up the hill. His two sisters Dorothy (Ralph Cardy) and Daisy (David Bodley), and their husbands, all died before him. Later, when his kids were older and less impressionable, he told us that he and his friends, as teens, used to jump off the tower at the end of the breakwater! In high school he worked downtown as a soda jerk, then in the bowling alley, manually setting pins. That lead to his lifelong love of bowling. He was still at it until just before his 91st birthday, when he bowled three times a week, and started complaining that he couldn’t loft the ball anymore, and his average was “only” 158! He still threw a wicked ball that ran the edge of the gutter before hooking into the pocket. Bob did play football in high school, but realized that a 125 pound lineman wasn’t going to make it in college! He loved ping pong too, and used to play with a group of guys before school. When the Chinese National team visited Petoskey, he got to play against one of them. He said it was pretty one-sided. Not in his favor.
Bob joined the Air Force in 1952, and after basic training, married his high school sweetheart, Mary Lou Dow, on July 13, 1953. They lived in Lake Charles, Louisiana, until he was sent to France on a troop ship, not a plane, where he was a medic. (“We kept the barbed hypodermic needles for the officers!”) After a year overseas, he decided it was time to hop on another troop ship and head back to Mary Lou. In March of 1956, he left the Air Force as a corporal. They hooked up their small AirStream trailer and drove back to Petoskey, parking it next to the house in which he grew up.
Bob worked on Emmet County surveying crews for Walter Dow, who was Mary Lou’s dad! They had two kids, Barry (son, Cameron) and Diane (daughter, Mary Rose Johnson), before moving to Grand Rapids, where he took business classes at Davenport College downtown. After that, the family moved to Big Rapids and Ferris Institute for more business and accounting classes. He also played intramural softball, and bowled in the alley in the student center basement. Dad graduated in 1960 and welcomed another daughter, Linda (husband, Curt Reams; son, Tyler, and his wife, Anna), to the family.
After living in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a few years, they settled in Rockford Michigan, where Dad continued his work as a federal auditor of credit unions, which involved a lot of travel. In his time at home, he volunteered for weekend Boy Scout camping trips with Barry and attended band concerts and recitals for Diane and Linda. Dad and Mom drove the kids on several cross-country vacations in their trusty station wagon. They visited the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, Mammoth Caves, the Badlands, Seven Falls, Disneyland, and Las Vegas, though not in that order! Many weekends, they’d drive the family to Petoskey to visit grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Soon two more boys were added to the clan: Steve (son, Robbie), and Mike (partner, Jackie Keller, Dad’s new favorite daughter). Dad later told us, “Your mother said I needed to find a more at-home job, or she was going to divorce me! I heard about an opening at Ferris (State College then) and got hired there.” For nearly two years, he commuted from Rockford to Big Rapids before finding a house and moving the family there in 1967. He was the manager of the business office until he retired in 1987. During that time, he coached Steve and Mike on Little League teams, winning a championship with Mike one season. For many years, he worked ticketing at Ferris sporting events too, so they got to see lots of games.
Mary Lou died in 1975 after fighting cancer for several years. Later, Dad said he was a very lucky guy to find two women to fall in love with and stay together with for so long. He married Judy Berry in 1981. Judy brought two kids to the family: Kris (son, Kiefer Morse, and his wife, Stefani; daughter, Kelsey; son, Gabriel Morse, and his partner, Brooke) and Jim Berry (wife, Rhonda; daughter, Sarah; son, Andrew). After he and Judy both retired from Ferris (State University by then), they traveled to and fell in love with Las Vegas. At first they’d go there for a few months during the winter, then back to Big Rapids. Then for half the year. Then it was, “If you kids want to see us, you’ll have to come out here!” Much to their chagrin, we did! They were great hosts and tour guides when we did visit. They became pretty well known at the casinos, shows, and buffets out there. Dad was known as the candy man at the casinos and restaurants in Vegas, because he’d always hand out candy to the wait staff.
Dad loved all the kids, but especially the grandkids and great-grandkids! He had many nieces and nephews all over the country too. Special appreciation goes to our cousin Dave Collins, who lived in Vegas at the same time Dad and Judy did and accompanied them to casinos, out to eat, and to movies, where Dave often took naps! Joe Mulligan and Sharon McMillan were their special friends out there, and Joe was their “IT expert” for many years, helping with computers, TVs, and phones.
Dad and Judy moved back to Michigan in 2023 when their health started failing and moved into Sunset Senior Community in Jenison. Thanks to all the new friends they made there, many of whom were staff members, all making them feel very welcome! The family did get Dad and Judy to go duckpin bowling before his health got too bad, but he said it wasn’t as good as the real thing!
Dad always had a rather dry sense of humor, which was with him right until the end, bringing smiles to a lot of faces. Dad told Judy the L as his middle name was for Lover, because he had five kids. When somebody asked if he was Catholic, he said, “No, sexy Methodist!”
Well done Dad! We love you and miss you!
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