Robert V. Bode

1948 - 2019

Robert Vincent Bode

Raleigh

Robert Vincent Bode, a lifelong resident of Raleigh, passed away on November 8, 2019 after a brief illness. He was seventy-one years old. Robert, known as Bob, was born October 11, 1948 in Raleigh, the fourth of five children to Mary Margaret Wheeler Bode and Vincent Henry Bode.

As a child, Bob attended Our Lady of Lourdes School and Cardinal Gibbons High School. He was president of the student body at Cardinal Gibbons while also captaining the basketball team to the North Carolina Catholic Athletic Association state title his senior year. For several decades, he held the single game scoring record for a Raleigh high school player.

A leader, scholar and athlete, Bob received the Morehead Scholarship and enrolled at the University of North Carolina in the fall of 1966. He played on the Freshman basketball team and Varsity tennis team. He was a proud member of the Chi Psi fraternity, serving as its rush chairman. Bob was also a member of NROTC. Upon graduation in 1970, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, serving primarily in Charleston, SC. Following his naval service, Bob studied law at the University of the North Carolina, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1974.

While in law school, Bob met his wife, Sherry, who was also studying at the University of North Carolina, pursuing a master's degree in Public Health. They married in 1977 and settled in Raleigh.

Following law school, Bob and his brother, John, founded a law firm, later known as Bode, Call & Stroupe, that was in operation for forty years until his retirement. The focus of his practice was healthcare regulatory law through the representation of hospital systems in key litigation matters. He was highly regarded by his clients and colleagues in the bar. After his retirement, Bob continued to work as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

In addition, Bob was heavily involved in the community. He ran numerous campaigns for local and state judges and annually interviewed candidates for the Morehead Scholarship. With a deep love of basketball, he founded the Lawyers League, where he played weekly into his forties. He worked diligently to organize multiple University of North Carolina 1966-1967 Freshman basketball reunions. He was Chairman of the Board for the Capital Area Soccer League for many years. Under his leadership and initiative, SAS Soccer Park, now WakeMed Soccer Park, was constructed and the popularity and success of soccer in the Triangle increased greatly.

In 2013, Bob retired from his law practice in order to spend more time at his beloved house in Williamstown, Massachusetts. An avid golfer in his later years, he was a member of the Taconic Golf Club and the Raleigh Golf Association, often playing golf multiple times a week. Bob and Sherry were supporters of Williamstown Theatre Festival and regularly attended the renowned summer theatre festival.

Spending time with his family was one of Bob's favorite things to do. It was a rare occasion in which he missed a sports event for one of his children. He coached his children's soccer, baseball and basketball teams at various points. For decades, he and Sherry walked together daily around the Coley Forest neighborhood in Raleigh and on Oblong Road in Williamstown. And more recently, he enjoyed spending time with his grandsons, regularly instructing them in baseball and basketball.

Bob is predeceased by his parents and sisters Jeanne Harnischfeger and Gretchen Holland. He is survived by his wife of forty-two years, Sherry, their children Richard Bode (Margaret) and Catherine Brown (Thomas) and two grandchildren, Fielding Bode and Henry Bode. He is also survived by his brother John Bode (Lucy) and sister Betsy Scott (Lindsay) along with numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, November 14th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home located at 300 Saint Mary's Street. A private graveside service will be held at Oakwood Cemetery, with a celebration of his life held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Transitions Life Care at 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC, 27607.