Robert Leo Roe

Robert Leo Roe, 94, passed away on October 13, 2024, after a long illness. Known to family and friends as “Bob,” “Grand-Bob,” or “Uncle Bobby,” he often joked that he wished all his loved ones would live to see 100 – and that he would live forever. Bob was the youngest of five children, had five children of his own, seven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He was married for 61 years to his wife and best friend, Eileen, and was proud of the fact that he never removed his wedding band for any reason in all those years.

Bob served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After the war, he worked for International Business Machines (IBM) in his hometown of Kingston, NY, and then in Research Triangle Park, NC, after being transferred and moving his family to Cary in 1973. He was a member of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church for more than 50 years and served as an usher throughout his retirement.

Bob enjoyed football, basketball, golf, boxing, and especially baseball and was a lifelong fan of the New York Mets. He loved watching his children’s and grandchildren’s games, was quite the pool shark, and could outplay anyone in solitaire. He was an aficionado of big band music, particularly Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Woody Herman. Bob was a crossword puzzle enthusiast as well as an avid reader on all topics and could spout endless trivia on the major people and events of the last century. He never tired of The Three Stooges and was the best deliverer of the worst “dad jokes.”

Above all, Bob was a devoted husband and father. He lived his vocation of marriage and family life, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. May he rest in peace in the kingdom of heaven forever and ever. Amen.

Bob is survived by his wife, Eileen Theresa, children Kathryn (Scott) McDermott, Noreen Roe, Glenn (Tara) Roe, Erin (Tim) Renfrow, and Kyle Roe; his grandchildren Emily Seeney (Ross Miller), Molly Seeney, Matthew (Kenzie) Weidner, Robert Roe, Dylan McDermott, Avery Renfrow, and Ty Renfrow; great grandchildren Connor and Lucy Weidner; and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Irving and Nora (nee Lane) Roe, brothers Leo (Gertrude) and William (Eva) Roe, and sisters Evelyn (Robert) Murphy and Colleen (William) Boice.

A Mass will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 11:00 am at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary.

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