Robert L Townsend

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that the family of Robert “Bob” Townsend announces his passing on Friday, December 15, 2017, at the age of 86, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Bob is survived by, and will be lovingly remembered by his adoring wife of 66 years, Connie; his children, Randy (Dawn), Dale (Donna), Deb (Robert), Dave (Lisa), and Kim (Michael); his 14 grandchildren, Melissa (Stephen), Zachary, Lucas, Amberly (Richard), Ryan (Kathryn), Jennifer (Trent), Ashley (Robert), Aaron, Alyssa, Elena, Ceili, Carter, Adam, and Kelli; 13 great-grandchildren, Teagan, Josephine, Quintin, Makenna, Matthew, Alexander, Elizabeth, Joshua, Benjamin, Langdon, Waylon, Aydon, and Kloie; his brother-in-law Ron Winters, sisters-in-law Sue Taczak and Barbara Conny, and many nephews and nieces. Bob is predeceased by his Mom and Dad, Martha and Clarence Townsend, and his 12 siblings.

Bob Townsend was born in Niagara Falls, NY, on December 30, 1930. He enlisted in the newly established United States Air Force in 1947 as an air traffic controller, spending nearly 28 years crisscrossing the globe, serving in some of the hot spots of the times, and attaining the top enlisted rank of Chief Master Sergeant. He was incredibly proud to be a military veteran of the United States of America. After retiring from the Air Force in 1975, Bob lived in Poway, CA, for several years before moving to Phoenix in 1979, managing the Virginia Hardwood Flooring Company until his permanent retirement in 1991.

Bob was also an active, loyal, and dedicated member of the Free Masons, and Order of the Eastern Star (OES). He joined the Masons while stationed in Michigan in 1967 and devoted significant time and energy to Masonic Lodges and OES Chapters around the world. He was the Past Master of Luftbruecke Lodge #838 in Wiesbaden, Germany, and is a Past Grand Patron of OES for the state of Arizona. Bob recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as a Mason, and 50th anniversary in OES, two rare and distinguished achievements.

Bob was a voracious reader and an adventurous spirit. He traveled far and wide and took every advantage of his time in retirement, visiting family and friends across the entire United States and Europe. As William “Braveheart” Wallace said, “Every man dies, not every man truly lives.” Bob Townsend truly lived.

A memorial service in memory of Bob will be held on Friday, January 12, 2018 at 11:30 a.m., at Shadow Mountain Mortuary, 2350 E. Greenway Rd., Phoenix, AZ., with Pastor Michael Hartwell from Crosswinds Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment will follow at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ. Refreshments will be served after interment at Paradise Valley Silver Trowel Lodge, 16027 N 25th St., Phoenix, AZ, 85032.

Memorial donations in memory of Bob Townsend may be made to Hospice of the Valley Fund Development, 1510 E Flower Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014; or to the Department of Development, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN