Major General Robert W. Fye

Fye, Major General Robert W.
passed away on September 25, 2012. He was born on September 3, 1924, the second son of Captain John H. and Lucile W. Fye. His was truly an Army family that would in subsequent years proudly claim four (living) Field Artillery colonels; Bob, Bob's father and Bob's two brothers. From the time he was a child, Bob's lifetime ambition was to attend West Point and dedicate his career to the Army; two goals he was proud to have attained. On June 6, 1945, Bob both graduated from West Point and was married in the Cadet Chapel to Virginia Leinani Stubbs. Lei was Bob's childhood sweetheart whom he had first met at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1939 when their fathers were stationed there. Their marriage was a wonderful one full of laughter and love which lasted over 56 years and produced two daughters, Carolyn and Beth, and one son, Bruce. Bob's first assignment was interviewing Nazi war criminals in post-war Germany and his last assignment was as Chief of Staff, HQ NORAD, with many interesting jobs between. When Bob was asked "Were the 38 years worth it?" his answer was a resounding "yes". The Army gave him undergraduate, graduate, and professional military schooling, which included his receiving one of the earliest masters degrees in aero-dynamics. He had experience in instructing others, service on staffs at all levels, and many opportunities for command. The latter was the most meaningful to him. He commanded at all troop levels from battery to division-sized organizations, striving always to provide leadership that was reasoned, compassionate and even-handed. "Duty, Honor, Country" were ever an inspiration in his efforts and apart from his family, there was nothing he was more devoted to than the US Army and the people who serve in it. Following retirement in 1979, Lei and Bob settled in Phoenix. Shortly thereafter, a new job opportunity arose. A new, military-oriented think-tank in Washington needed an individual with extensive air defense experience and Bob was offered the job. For the next ten years, Bob commuted between Phoenix and Washington, completing studies and analyses for US defense contractors and foreign governments. Bob was predeceased by his wife Leinani and his son Bruce. He is survived by his daughters Carolyn and Beth, his son-in-law Ed, his granddaughter Amy and her husband Casey, their children, Zara, Ben and Jasper, and his dear friend, Barbara Behel. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warriors Project at 4150 North Drinkwater Blvd, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 or at woundedwarriorsproject.org.