I am extremely grateful for Rob’s life and I am proud he was my grandfather. With his passing I appreciate how many people he reached and influenced during his ninety-five years on earth! As one of Rob’s six grandchildren I know that he helped: me, my brother, my sister and my cousins get a great start in life. In turn I know that we will all pass on some of his influence to his eleven great-grandchildren.

In particular, I identify with Rob’s contribution to modern communication and computing technology. I find it profound that he worked on both the first transatlantic telephone cables and some of the first silicon advancements. These two efforts formed the foundation for modern life, the global economy and how our family in the United States can reach our loved ones back in Europe. I can think of no better use of the metaphor “we stand on the shoulders of giants”!

My earliest memories of Rob were visiting at the weekend in Felixstowe. Upon arrival Nan would greet us in the kitchen and whet our appetite for what we would be enjoying for dessert later. Her desserts were always exceptionally good and enjoyed by her children and grandchildren alike! After the kitchen was a stop at the workshop to examine the latest “project”. This was often, but not always, a locomotive of some kind. As a child I was encouraged to participate and, perhaps, help mill the next component made of brass. Rob was a great teacher and I think he delighted in helping the next generation become engineers. After the workshop would often come a “steam up”; sometimes of the ride-on-train format or the poke-with-a-finger format! In retrospect I now realize how unusual it was to have this kind of experience when visiting one’s grandparents and I delight in the fact that Rob created something special in the back garden.

In later years I appreciated the interest Rob took in my life. He was always quick to enquire about the latest goings on and the things that were important to me. I was honored when Rob asked me to speak at his Probus group about my hobby of skydiving and I think he was relieved to learn about the technical innovations to improve safety since his generation jumped from “perfectly good aircraft”!
I feel very fortunate that both Nan and Rob traveled to my wedding in Sicily when they were in their eighties. I remember many of the wedding guests commenting how impressed that they’d made the journey. Similarly, I was grateful they made the trip to the U.S. a couple of years later to explore my new home. It was an honor to show them around this corner of the world in “the fall”.

It makes me smile when I think of Rob’s legacy and gives me something to aspire to.

Emily, Izzy, Pippa and I will be thinking of our family and all Rob’s friends on August 26th. 

Love, Chris