Robert R Irving

He lived his whole childhood in Philadelphia, attending the Penn Charter School, and then the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a BA in English. After graduation, he entered the field of technical writing, where he wrote for Welding Journal and eventually became a technical editor for Iron Age magazine.

He married Sally Brooke of Chestnut Hill in 1950. They lived in East Falls, New Hope, King of Prussia, and Wayne.

"Bob" remarried in 1993 to Patricia ("Trish") Irmen, born in Minnesota. They lived in Yardley, PA, with a 3-year stint in Manhattan, where they shared their love of theater and music. Bob kept a journal of every play he saw during that time, eventually numbering 100.

Bob's passions included Penn football and basketball, Philadelphia sports, and literature. He was always surrounded by books and was known to pick out books for his many grandchildren as Christmas gifts. He kept up on local and world events with subscriptions to the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Financial Times. He also wrote frequently, including an unpublished book on famous graduates of Philadelphia private schools and a child's book featuring a lemming as the protagonist. He continued reading and writing into his 90's, always having a stack of novels by his side and even wrote a daily summary of interesting events, which he loved to share with Trish.

Family members and friends will always remember him for his personal love for each of them and his sense of humor. Although never an adherent of any specific religious group, he felt an affinity with Quaker beliefs and sometimes attended Quaker meeting.

He is survived by his wife, Trish, and his three children: Robert Irving (Jr.), Brooke Davies, and Susan DiLella. In addition, he had 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 9, at 2pm at Daylesford Crossing Senior Living in Paoli, PA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AllevaFuneralHome.com for the Irving family.