He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Dorothy (Kerrigan) Oakes; his brother and best friend, Ken Oakes, and his stepfather, John Merkle.
Bob was born May 18th, 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sharon (Ricca); his three devoted children and spouses, Brian (Mandy), Kelli (Matt Matula), Kevin (Lauren); his most precious grandchildren, Avery and Reed; numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, countless friends, a half-sister, half-brother and three grand dogs .
Bob was a proud veteran of the US Navy, graduated from St Louis University with an aeronautical degree, and had a distinguished flying career spanning over 37 years retiring as a captain with American Airlines in 2015.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARFA). Www.curemeso.org
