Sept. 9, 1922-Nov. 23, 2022
The son of a career Naval officer, Bob grew up in various places but mostly in Norfolk, Virginia. He was a bright kid who managed to graduate from high school two years ahead of his contemporaries. At age 20, he was already a graduate engineer from Virginia Tech when he was commissioned as one of the youngest officers in the American Navy. He saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, among other battles.
Bob then went on to a brilliant career in the oil industry, becoming Chevron’s first American petroleum engineer assigned to Sumatra after the war. He and his family lived eight years in the jungle while he worked at developing the Minas field, to this day the largest oilfield in southeast Asia.
In the 1960s, Bob and his family moved to Libya, where he spent six years running Chevron’s operations deep in the Sahara Desert. Afterward, he and Ernestine retired to San Diego, California, where she died in 2010.
Late in life, at age 95, Bob married Alison, who survives. Together, they continued to indulge their mutual passion for international travel, while she lovingly attended to his growing needs.
In addition to his wife, Bob is survived by his daughter, Dana Anthony (husband Leonard), his elder son David and his younger son Mark (wife Paula). He has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. His charming warmth, his extraordinary intellect and his sense of humor will be missed by us all.
Condolences may be shared on the McMillan Mortuary website.