When I first met Bob he was just my brother’s fiance’s dad. But that changed the second I met him. Bob treated me like family the first time we met and everytime since then. It was never awkward to talk to him whether I was sitting in his man cave downstairs with him or I was taking to him on the phone from across the country. Robynn was related to me and now he was too. I’m so honored to have known him and I will always remember him fondly. Rest easy Bob.

On December 3rd at about 8:30 pm my sister Judy called me and her words were well our big brother is gone and my heart broke. I loved him very much and told him so just a few days before he passed. One of my first thoughts was oh he gets to see little Bobby again and I know how thrilled He was for that I still remember growing up our Mom would say Bob Dorthy and the kids was coming to visit and I was so excited. I would stand outside and watch for a low flying plane to fly over and tilt its wings back and forth that meant they were there and off to the airport we would go to get them. I will miss him more than words can ever express.

Bob was such a delightful man. I loved his stories about people he flew and places he had been. He is one of the nicest persons I have ever met. My son is married to Robynn and loved Bob very much.

Mike Powell

Bob was always a very special person to me as a child. Bobby and I were very close before his passing) and have many memories of visits and airplane rides when he would come visit. Things changed with time, and we lost touch with each other when I was in high school but got reconnected with him in the mountains of Nantahala about 10 years ago. He invited my wife and I to visit him and I am so glad that I did. We were treated so great we only planned to stay for a couple of days that turned into over a week. Bob just got Charlie and those two had a very special bond with each other.
The stories that we both shared were so enjoyable to both of us. When Bob moved to Florida with Ken and Tammie for good. I went several times for visits and stayed there and was always glad to learn the wisdom and stories that he would tell me. Bob I will miss our visits and phone conversations. RIP my friend and I’m so glad we reconnected in life
Mike Powell

How to begin My Brother Bob we would talk on the phone at least weekly. He would tease me and make me mad sometimes but being mad at him never lasted long because I loved him so much. I spoke with him at Thanksgiving and we had a great conversation you would never guess that he was that ill. Through the last year our conversations changed from earlier times in our life, Bob would tell me stories and we would laugh and laugh. I’m going to miss him so much, his wisdom, wit and humor. I’ll see you on the other side.

Uncle Bob was always very special to me and I’ve cherished the memories of our visits over the years. I was a kid when we visited him on the lake, and I can still picture some of the beautiful places he took us to see on his boat. He truly was an incredible story teller and he was so kind to us kids. Uncle Bob has always been one of my favorite people – he just had one of the best personalities, it was just fun to be around him. I know he will be truly missed by so many. Thank you, Uncle Bob, for some of my favorite memories. I still have the arrowhead you helped me find as a kid – I’ll never forget your reaction when we found it. Love you.

Tami; Ken and myself are so sorry about your dad going to heaven. We will add you to our pray list. Keep strong and continue smiling. love, Carole Basile

Uncle Bob was always so kind and generous. He really adored and loved his children. When I was a young girl, Uncle Bob, Aunt Dorothy, Tammie, and Robynn were always great to be around. I remember being invited to go on some of their summer vacations. What fun memories. I remember Uncle Bob as a strong, yet gentle man. He was impressive and interesting. He could fly planes and captain a boat, he was good at fishing and playing basketball, he was smart and knew a lot about history. I’m thankful my husband and children were able to spend some time with him. Uncle Bob was such a blessing to me and my family. I cherish my memories of him.

I’m not much with words but Bob and I were really close we talked a lot and we laughed a whole lot and sometimes we would disagree a lot but we never let our disagreements come between us; we were real as real as it gets, we were real close and I miss him and I am glad he no longer has to suffer pain, he had a wonderful place to be during those final years; he called it paradise! My best memory of him and I have many good memories but my very favorite memory is when he agreed to pray for me when I was down and needed prayer! I loved him, and I miss him; see you one day soon Bob 💗

Bob. Bob was a master storyteller. The one thing to know though was that it was the listener’s job to figure out whether he was reminiscing about the past or telling an elaborate joke. His job seemed to be to make it as difficult as possible to discern the difference. He led such a colorful life that it was often hard to figure out which path he was taking you down until you were completely enveloped in the story and didn’t really care anymore. If you watched him carefully though, you could see the glint in his eye when he realized that he might get this one past you!

There were many stories about his basketball career. Even more about his military career. Many were even about playing basketball for the military since he played on the Navy’s all-star team. Some of his favorite stories were about his friends and family who were the light of his life. Stories about his life as a pilot, the seven airplanes that he owned, the trips that he took. Stories about his home in the mountains of NC. One story that tied this home together with an earlier story about a flight where bad weather had forced him to land at an unfamiliar airport. That airport turned out to be the closest one to the mountain house which he then lived in for over twenty years. Another was about a Cherokee man that he took to the “hidden waterfall” which he used to take us all to. As they approached the waterfall by boat, the Cherokee man told him that this was a holy area and that spirits of his ancestors were nearby.

Then there were the stories about growing up during the great depression. Collecting coal along the railroad tracks, hitchhiking across the country to visit family, and then back to base with the friendly (and sometimes unfriendly) people who made it possible. He loved to tell about the small acts of kindness and chance encounters with strangers that helped him in a very significant way during this time. There was the time that he was headed back to his California base from Kentucky and went five days without eating, put his last dime into the slot machine, and was able to eat like a king when the dimes came pouring out. The stranger at the bus station that paid his fare when he didn’t have enough to get back to base. The story about a crazy guy with a gun who suddenly got paranoid and booted him out of his car in the middle of nowhere (Bob remembered where, but alas I do not).

These were some of the true stories (yes, even the one with the Cherokee spirits; he had photographic evidence to back it up!). It made the sometimes very elaborate jokes exceptionally hard to pick out until the very end of the story when he (usually) gave it away. He lost some of the joy for these pranks when anyone could become a fact-checker with their new friends Alexa and Google, yet at the same time he managed to use them to research places, events, and things from his past.

Friends and family were always welcome in his home and he lived to play the part of entertainer. I met him later on in his life, but feel like I have known him forever and even occasionally try to pass on some of his stories to entertain others. I am a better person for having known him and know that I am not the only one. Thank you, Bob. Thank you for everything that you have brought into my life. You will be missed, but you will also live on while the memories
of you remain with the many people that you have touched. Until we meet again, blue skies my friend.

Bob and I met when I went up to his house in the mountains for the first time with my family. I didn’t know at the time that he and I would become best friends. Bob and I were 65 years apart in age, and almost a foot apart in height. He often liked to remind me of the latter. He grew up in the great depression, I grew up with an iPhone. In a lot of ways, we could not have been more different, but that didn’t keep us from having a great friendship. I’d like to share some of my stories of Bob and our friendship over the years, starting at the beginning.

Bob had what I thought was the coolest man cave I’d seen up in his house on Lake Nantahala. This was where I tried moonshine for the first time. He offered me some from one of his mason jars, and not wanting to seem “lame”, I tried some. Anyone else who has tried moonshine can imagine the face that I made with my first sip. Bob often liked to remind me of that also. It was in this same room where I first got a glimpse of Bob’s inner trickster. We played cards and I lost each time, as Bob had a knack for bending the rules.

That was my first experience with Bob, but where we became close was when he moved in with my Dad, Tami, Byron, and me while I was still in high school. Both of us being night owls, we would often meet in the kitchen around midnight or later by chance as we were both looking for a snack. This happened at least a few times a week, and both of us would sit out there for a while, enjoying each other’s company while everyone else was fast asleep. Bob would tell me stories during these times about his various life adventures, of which he had many. I also got a first-hand view of some of his more interesting eating habits, such as whole milk over ice which he affectionately called ‘moo-moo on the rocks.’ Bob was very inquisitive, and he loved to ask me my opinions about things as well. Especially on controversial topics. We got to know each other well during these chance meetings in the kitchen.

I went away to school and would come home over the summer’s and Bob and I would pick up where we left off. He and I were the slowest eaters in the home, and each meal we would have a race to see who could finish last it seemed. I remember one specific time where Bob and I were the last at the table. Over the years I became fairly adept at picking up on Bob’s jokes and tricks, but he never stopped his attempts to pull the wool over my eyes. This time Bob started off asking if I would like to make a bet. I agreed, and he asked me if I would bet him 5 dollars that he could jump higher than the house. In hindsight I should have known there was some way that I was going to lose this bet, but I agreed, thinking there is no way this 88-year-old man will jump over this house. Bob got out of his chair, stood for a second, then did the smallest jump you’ve ever seen. He then looked at me and said, “now ask the house to jump.” He had the biggest grin on his face and I knew that I’d been bested. I gave him 5 dollars, which he promptly returned.

When I moved home for two years between undergrad and medical school, Bob was really my only friend in the area. We spent a lot of time together, and when my parents would go on their cruises, it was just he and I in the house. Tami would ask me to take care of Bob while they were gone, but actually, we took care of each other. Bob was always encouraging me to go out and meet people, which can be difficult in a new city. He was so happy when I met Christine, and Bob and Christine became fast friends as well. He loved to joke with her, likely because she would joke back. That’s one thing Bob looked for most in a friend, someone who he could have meaningful discussions with, someone who would engage in his jokes, and challenge him back with jokes and tricks of their own. Bob looked forward to Christine coming over, I suspect just as much as I did. He was a part of our relationship from its inception and was one of the first people we called after our engagement.

If I ever gave Bob a complement or did something that made him particularly happy, he would say “You know you’re alright, I think I’ll dance at your wedding.” I told him I’d hold him to it. Bob won’t be able to dance at my wedding, but he’ll be there in the memories I have of him and the way he has helped me to become the man I am today.