FLORIDA, Robert J (Bob) – of Fenton Township, Michigan, age 84, passed away with family at his side on December 13, 2022 at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc.
Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, December 19, 2022 at Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Pastor Sarah LaRose-Nettell officiating. Visitation at 11 a.m. Monday until the time of the service at the funeral home. Burial in Oakwood Cemetery in Fenton.
Robert was born in Flint, Michigan on May 21, 1938, the second of eleven children born to his late parents, Joel Junior Florida Sr. and Margaret Edna (Couchman). He graduated from Flint Central High School in 1957. He met the love of his life, Clara Ann (Fahnestock), on Labor Day weekend, 1958 and following a whirlwind romance, they were married on April 4, 1959 in Clare, Michigan. After brief employment with General Motors, Bob was first of seven siblings to follow in their father’s footsteps in the field of law enforcement by joining the Flint Police Department on August 19, 1960. He was promoted to Detective on June 7, 1969 and later was trained in New York City to be one of the first polygraphists in the county. He was promoted to Sergeant on January 22, 1974 and earned citations of merit by assisting to solve crimes through contacts with pawn shop businesses. Always a strong advocate for allowing police officers to earn social security credits, he served as President of the Flint Police Benefit Association from July, 1980 – June, 1982, retiring from the police department on August 19, 1984. He then went on to work for Genesee County, primarily serving in the court system.
Bob was a wonderful husband and father of two daughters. After retirement he attended as many of his grandchildren’s activities as he could. He fully enjoyed looking through old family photos and researching the family tree, working in the yard, and spending time on the computer analyzing stock investments. His memory for historical facts was remarkable. He was a brave fighter for longevity, overcoming several significant medical hurdles.
He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 63 years, Clara, and daughters Valerie (Jack) Tylus of Swartz Creek and Sandra Florida of Flint. He leaves behind six grandchildren – Elizabeth (Brandon) Rosser-York of Clio, Robert Holt (Brittany Brandenburg) of Portland, Oregon, Katherine (David) Willoughby of Troy, Paulina (Kyle) Standifer of Livonia, Audrey Holt (Justin Riel) of Sunnyvale, California, and Christopher Holt of Flint; and three great-grand children – MiKayla and Amelia Rosser, and Hannah Standifer. He is also survived by two brothers – David (Janice) Florida of Linden and John Florida of Zephyr Hills, Florida. Survivors also include sisters-in-law: Sue (wife of Joel), Verna (wife of Thomas), Carol (wife of Michael), Karen (wife of Samuel) along with Clara’s sister, Lois Burns, as well as former son-in-law Keith Holt. He also leaves behind many nephews, nieces, and cousins. He was pre-deceased by siblings William, James (Mary), Margaret (Donald Grove Sr), Joel Jr., Thomas, Genevieve, Michael, and Samuel; also by in-laws Doris Fahnestock and Raymond Burns.
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