Robert E. Ford

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to assist students at Bob's undergraduate alma mater:

Robert Ford Memorial Fund

P.O. Box 2008

Niagara University, NY 14109

A celebration of life for Robert will be held Saturday, January 12, 2019, at 2 PM at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home, 4815 S Clyde Morris Blvd, Port Orange, Florida 32129.

Robert E. Ford was born in New York City on February 11, 1944. His parents were the late Mary Walsh and Eugene Ford. Bob’s father had been declared ”missing” in World War II, but was eventually located and returned to his wife, Mary, and infant son, Bob. Bob was the eldest of five; he has four sisters: Mary Beth (Dishinger), Eugenia (Quinn), Debbie (Neuhaus) and Theresa (Colotti). Bob alternately played practical jokes upon the girls or served as big brother defender.

Bob attended St. Dominic High School on Long Island. He then attended Maryknoll College in Glen Ellen (IL) where he studied for the priesthood. Bob left the monastery after two years and enrolled in Niagara University (NY) where he earned a Bachelors degree in Sociology, magna cum laude. It was at Niagara University that his interest in criminology was ignited. Bob pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana, earning both masters and doctoral degrees in Sociology. During his graduate studies Bob worked with the Chicago police department and he was a National Institute of Mental Health Fellow.

Following graduate school, Bob taught criminology at the State University of New York-Buffalo for 8 years. He left full-time academia to become the third in command at the Erie County Sheriff’s Department (Buffalo, NY), until he was selected as Commissioner of Central Police Services for Erie County. The modified metropolitan police agency provided a forensic laboratory, police training academy, computer system, and 9-1-1 and radio system for the county’s 27 municipal police agencies and sheriff. Bob missed street-level policing and came to the Port Orange Police Department in 1986. He was Police Chief through January 1999 and then Director Police Services for the City until August 1999. Upon retirement from policing, Bob turned to his other career love - education. Bob taught criminal justice and research at the University of Central Florida until 2016. Bob first ran for Port Orange City Council in 2010 and was in his third term as the District 1 Councilman at the time of his death. Bob has two adult children, Shannon and Kerrie. He also leaves his wife of 34½ years, Marilyn. Although a cop at heart, Bob was also a Renaissance man, known for his wide-ranging knowledge, his love of gardening, and robust Irish wit that made any story just a little bit bigger and better.