Robert B. Keesecker

Robert Bruce (Bob) Keesecker, devoted husband and father, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on March 24, 2025, at the age of 94. He is predeceased by his loving wife of 62 years, Neva Joyce (née Findley), his parents Harry C. and Vera B. Keesecker, and his grandson Samuel H. Keesecker. He is survived, and will be missed, by his sons and their families: Chris O., Douglas H., and Jeffrey S. (and Margaret) Keesecker, and as well as his grandchildren Jessica (and Ricky), Tyler (and Ben), Samantha, Maxwell, and Chloe; and his great-grandchildren Nathaniel and Arthur (KotB). He was born October 27, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. During his childhood, the family moved a number of times as Harry rose to the highest levels at the National Cash Register Corporation (NCR), and he spent many summers at his maternal grandparents’ farm near Kiowa, Kansas. He attended Bucknell University, then later Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. While there, he took summer jobs as a cowboy at the Matador Ranch in the Texas panhandle. Also at Tech he met the love of his life, Neva Joyce Findley, a Lubbock-area native who was also attending Tech. After college, he enlisted in the army and was recruited into the 25th Division, Tropic Lightning. The 25th shipped out for the Korean War but arrived shortly after combat had ceased. He always held a deep feeling of appreciation and accomplishment for his experiences in the army. After the army, he joined his father at NCR. He also started his family with Neva, and after brief stints in St. Paul (MN) and Fort Lauderdale they settled in Sarasota. He always said that when he was transferred to Sarasota he knew it was the place he wanted to stay, and refused any promotions that would involve moving. The home in Sarasota was always the anchor point for family get togethers. Bob was an avid sailor and tennis player. He fulfilled his dream of owning a cruising sailboat, and at one point he crewed on a larger racing yacht, the Salty Tiger, in a race across the Gulf of Mexico. He and Neva played tennis well into their 70s and enjoyed a decades-long friendship with The Tennis Group. They were a musical couple, with Neva working as a high school music educator and playing piano and Bob leading the singing of hymns at their church. The couple encouraged their children to participate in music and sports and all three boys played tennis and little league football, sailed, and participated in musical programs in school. The parents coached, danced, cheered, attended and otherwise participated in all of their sons’ musical and sporting events throughout their lives. Bob became a devoted care-giver when Neva began her battle with Lewy Body Dementia, but eventually had to bring in daily nursing assistance. This care allowed Neva to fulfil her wish of remaining at home until her passing. Bob eventually took up cycling on a recumbent three-wheeler. The boys had taken up mountain biking, and “Dad’s Ride” became a fixture at weekend get-togethers. Bob rode his CatTrike almost every day until he was 93 years old. Many a pleasant morning was spent by the group riding along the bayfront to the Ringling bridge and stopping at O’Leary’s on the way back for lunch, and much-needed “hydration.” He had a fantastic sense of humor and an extensive vocabulary. “Dad Jokes,” puns, and other word-play were a specialty. In our family, there was always some pressure to find the humor in any situation – any occasion where one of us could get a laugh out of the group was a moment of triumph. As an avid reader of both fiction and history, he would often amaze the family with his recall of minute details of just about any historical event or development going back centuries, or even millennia. He taught his sons to not toot your own horn or complain, put in an honest day’s work, think before you speak, be kind to pets and animals, and treat our fellow man with fairness and compassion. He was a great Dad, led by example, was always supportive and positive, and “raised us right.” We remain a close family that enjoys each other’s company, and we look forward to every opportunity to get together. Perhaps that is as great a legacy as any of us can hope to leave to our families. Good bye, Dad. Enjoy your journey, and know that you will be missed. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 15 2025, at 11:00 AM, at the South Trail Church of Christ, 5601 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231. A reception at the church will follow the service. There will be a graveside service during this time for family and close friends at the nearby Sarasota Memorial Park, 5833 S. Tamiami Trail. There will also be a wake, or after-party for those wishing to further celebrate Bob’s life at Plaza Mexico, 1894 Stickney Point Rd, Sarasota, FL 34231.

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Robert B. Keesecker

October 27, 1930 - March 24, 2025