Robert T. Vavrina

1942 - 2018

Robert Theodore Vavrina, Jr. of 22010 Turner, Chapel Hill, NC 27517 passed away on April 28, 2018 at the Bryan Hospice House of UNC Health Care in Pittsboro, NC. Bob was born on April 21, 1942 in Baltimore, MD to Robert T. and Dorothy E. (Brunner) Vavrina. He graduated from Bethany College, Bethany, West Virginia with a degree in English and Journalism where he excelled in track (still holds the school record in 440 yd. hurdles) and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. Bob went on to earn a Master's degree cum laude in Personnel and Guidance from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a certificate in Strategic HR Planning from Harvard University and a second Master's with Distinction in Executive Coaching, Middlesex University, United Kingdom. He married a fellow Bethanian, Cindi Heslop of Martins Ferry, OH, and they had two children. Bob attended Officers Training School in the Marines and served in the Reserves during his early career. His work with the insurance industry became the cornerstone of his career where he retired as Senior VP Human Resources for Blue Cross, Blue Shield of North Carolina. Bob prized hunting and fishing, loved dogs, was an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan, enjoyed a good horse race and collected wildlife art. He was quick with a smile and so well read he was frequently asked to write eulogies because of his ability to provide meaningful literary quotes. Bob treated everyone as his equal. Bob is preceded in death by his mother and father and survived by his significant other Melissa Staples; his daughter Susan Merjos and her husband Daniel Kelley of New York, New York; his son Robert T. Vavrina III of Raleigh, NC; his granddaughter Rose Sara Merjos of New York, New York; and his brother Charles S. Vavrina and his wife, Anne Wells of Lehigh Acres, FL. In lieu of a local service, Bob has asked that his family spread his ashes on Beecher Pond in Vermont along with those of his favorite dog, Charlie. Please consider a charitable contribution in his name to Bethany College, Bethany, West Virginia.