Robert Lee Waid Jr.

Bob graduated from The University of Kansas, where he met his wife, Joyce Ann Campbell, in 1958. Bob was in the Kappa Sigma fraternity, and Joyce was a Delta Gamma. They were married in 1962 in Abilene, Kansas, Joyce’s hometown, then moved to Overland Park, KS.

After his father’s retirement, he became the president of Waid’s Restaurants, a popular chain of 13 family restaurants in the Kansas City area.

Bob had developed an interest in the emerging field of computers, which led to a long and distinguished career with Electronic Data Systems (EDS). They relocated to Dallas, TX, and after 30 years, he retired as an executive manager in the Health Care Division in 1997.

Bob and Joyce then moved from Texas to the Garden Isle of Kauai, Hawaii, where they lived for 18 years before moving to Naples in 2017.

It was in Hawaii where his love for photography and wildlife developed into an ongoing passion. He volunteered at the Kilauea National Lighthouse and championed the Laysan Albatross, publishing a book called The Majestic Albatross.

He continued volunteering at several wildlife organizations in Naples, ending his volunteer activity at the Conservancy of Naples. He was also involved in the Black Bear Ridge community where he served in various roles for the HOA.

Bob is survived by Joyce, his wife of 61 years; daughter, Natalie, and her husband, Scott, of St. Petersburg, FL; son, Michael, of Seattle; and furry best friend, Barkley. Also surviving are Bob’s younger brother, John, and his wife, Jan, of Vail, Arizona, and nephew, Jordan, and his children, Olivia and Sebastian, of London, England.

Bob was dedicated to all creatures great and small; the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Conservancy of Naples, the Naples Zoo, the World Wildlife Federation, or your local humane society.

A memorial service will be held in Kauai at a later date. “He soars upward on the wings of an albatross.”