Robert Alfred Herrick

Robert Alfred Herrick, age 90, of Cary, NC passed away on March 24th, 2025 surrounded by his family. Born on October 30, 1934 in Clinton, Iowa to Dorothy Hansen Herrick and Robert Frederick Herrick. He was married to Ann Becker Herrick for 68 years.

Bob worked as a Board Certified Environmental Engineer in the Industrial Hygiene Industry and loved his work. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1956 and then went on to work for Dow Corning, the Public Health Service, Bethlehem Steel, Resources Research, Owens Corning Fiberglass, and from 1986-2022 he ran his own consulting firm, Herrick Engineering. Bob begrudgingly retired at the age of 87.

He was actively involved in multiple professional organizations acting as a member, trustee, director or chair throughout the years: ABET, Air Pollution Control Association, American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and the Waterproofing Contractor Association. He was a well published author in several professional Industrial Hygiene publications throughout the years. His contributions to this industry were substantial and he was highly regarded by all who worked with him as being a wealth of knowledge and wisdom.

Bob’s laugh and smile were contagious. He loved to eat great food, drink good wine, and more than anything, be with family and friends. He was the biggest encourager to all who met him. If you were blessed to know him, you know what I mean. A devoted husband and father, he consistently gave his family words of encouragement and support. ‘Have I told you lately how much I love you’?, was a question regularly asked.

An avid fisherman, sailor, snorkeler, and traveler. He always kept the ‘next trip’ on the calendar and enjoyed travels throughout the world with his wife and family ~ Thailand, Burma, Australia, Uganda, Belize, Palau, Italy, Germany, Austria, Turkey... just to name a few. His favorite snorkeling location was the Similan Islands in Thailand. Bob and Ann went on several snorkeling trips with the Oceanic Society participating in ocean research with marine biologists.

Bob was a faithful Christian dedicating time and service to so many organizations. He was a tenor singing in choirs throughout his life. He was a teacher of the Bethel project, a 2-year overview of the entire bible. He served on the board of the Haiti Foundation whose focus was reforestation of the barren landscape and rebuilding of the community. Bob traveled multiple times to Haiti to be the hands and feet of Jesus. With Hope Community Church, he traveled to Uganda to serve with the Watoto organization whose focus was building communities for orphaned children and widowed mothers. Bob also served on the board of Gateway Pregnancy Center who provides free healthcare and support to women navigating unplanned pregnancy. Actively involved with Zoweh men’s ministry, Bob was the oldest member of their Elder-Sage initiative, whose purpose was investing in the lives of younger men to help strengthen their relationship with God. Serving and giving back was an incredibly important part of Bob’s life. He was the most generous person with all of his time, talents and resources.

He is survived by his wife, Ann; sons John Herrick and David Herrick and daughter Jane Pinzauti. Bob had 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren: Alex Sorrell, Bobby Herrick, Sofia Pinzauti, Emma Herrick; Damian, Lilith and Scarlett Sorrell.

Bob will be greatly missed by all who knew him!

We will have a Celebration of Life to honor Bob on Sunday, May 4th, 2025 from 2:00-5:00 at Enrigo Italian Bistro in Cary NC.