Robert E. Waldron

Waldron, Robert E.

Robert Edwards Waldron, age 94, died on December 26, 2015 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He was predeceased by his wife of forty-one years, Maryetta Prior Waldron, in 1988, and is survived by his devoted wife of twenty years, Nancy Howcroft Waldron, of Fairport. Neighborhood children called him "the walker man" for his predictable early morning 3-mile walk in his former Irondequoit neighborhood by which they could tell if they were late for school.

Born on February 19, 1921 in Needham, Massachusetts, he was valedictorian of his class at Union High School in New Jersey. He received his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1942.

Fascinated by airplanes since the age of twelve when he won a ride at the county fair, he was a flight test engineer for Curtiss Wright Corporation in Buffalo, New York and served in the United States Army Air Force from 1943 to 1946. He obtained his Primary and Secondary Civilian Pilot license and an Aircraft and Engine Mechanic's license from Northrop Aeronautical Institute and was part owner of a Monocoupe 110 NC that he flew in the Civil Air Patrol. He holds a patent as co-inventor of an airplane control surface device using air pressure to supply part of the effort.

His second love was water. An avid swimmer, designer, and builder, he and his father published kayak and boat building articles in Popular Mechanics when he was still in his teens. His favorite childhood memories included summering at his family's island cottage on Lake Char¬gogg¬a¬gogg¬man¬chaugg¬a¬gogg¬chau¬bun¬a¬gung¬a¬maugg (Webster Lake) in Massachusetts and he playfully taught all four of his daughters how to pronounce the name of this lake at very early ages. Inspired by the beauty of God's creation, he packed up the family (at ages 7, 14 and 16) and drove cross-country for a month to show them the national parks.

He earned a graduate degree in Industrial Design from California Institute of Technology in 1949 and moved to Rochester, New York to work for Eastman Kodak Company from 1950 to 1983. While at Kodak, he served as senior design engineer and reliability/quality control engineer on numerous products including the Color Printer, the Reflex Movie Camera, Lunar Orbitor, and Apollo Lunar Surface Close Up Camera. His team received the Apollo Achievement Award from The National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 20, 1969 for "dedicated service to the nation as a member of the team which has advanced the nation's capabilities in aeronautics and space . . . culminating in Apollo 11's successful achievement of man's first landing on the moon."

In addition to his considerable professional achievements, he was a devoted father to Sandra Waldron Weirich, Charlottesville, VA; Candace Waldron, Rockport, MA; Donna Waldron Fallon, Ellicott City, MD; and Debra Waldron James, La Paz, Bolivia. He is also survived by his sister, Rosamond Waldron Wadsworth of Philadelphia, PA. He leaves nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Bob was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He was a member of Browncroft Community Church where he sang in the choir, was actively involved in their Senior Citizen Program, and volunteered in the Nursery. He drove for the American Red Cross and Meals on Wheels, built homes for Habitat for Humanity, and traveled on several mission trips to Bolivia, France, and Ethiopia, both through Browncroft Community Church and with SIM. Especially close to his heart was camping ministry. Most recently, Bob was a member of East Rochester Baptist Church. Bob was a generous man who loved to help others and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Donations can be made to: Camp Yungas (Project #91087) www.simusa.org; or Parkinson's Research Foundation, www.michaeljfox.org.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 31, 2015 at 9:30 AM at The All Seasons Chapel of White Haven memorial Park where interment will follow at the conclusion of services.