Bob Baucom

1935 - 2016

Robert L. Baucom, beloved brother, uncle, great-uncle, and cherished friend to many, passed away peacefully at Duke Hospital in Durham, N.C., on Aug. 18, 2016, from cardiovascular disease. He was surrounded by many loving family members at his bedside.

Bob was born to the late Alyce Leonie Latta Baucom and Bernard Andrew Baucom in Monroe, N.C., on Aug. 30, 1935. He had a twin brother, who died in infancy. Bob grew up in a lively, happy home in Monroe as the oldest of five siblings. After graduating from Monroe High School, he earned an undergraduate degree and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He remained a faithful Tar Heel throughout his life.

Bob was a Captain in the U.S. Army, serving as a physician in Germany until his honorable discharge in 1961. He began his civilian medical career as a psychiatrist in Columbia, S.C., then moved to Durham, N.C., to join John Umstead Hospital in Butner (now called Central Regional Hospital), where he worked until his retirement. He held various positions there, including Director of the Adolescent Unit, Director of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Services, and Director of the North Central Area.

Bob was so easy to love, in part because he always showered his love on others. His family and friends experienced him as exceptionally kind, gentle, genuine, accepting, and generous. He embraced life to the fullest and soaked it in, whether he was traveling around the world, contemplating his next delicious meal, being fully enthralled at the theater, or texting frequently with good friends; on the other hand, he could just sit and relax for hours! He was positive and upbeat and didn't have a "negative bone" in his body. He really liked to have fun and was very funny himself, whether poking fun at himself or imitating an angry raccoon. He very gently, and without calling attention to himself, took care of all of us-the ultimate big brother.

Bob is survived by his sister Llew Baucom Tyndall and her husband Bob of Washington, N.C., and by three brothers-Kenneth L. Baucom and his wife Henrietta of Pretoria, South Africa; Bernard Andrew Baucom, Jr., and his wife Janice of Monroe, N.C.; and Donald H. Baucom and his wife Linda of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and by numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews, as well as many others in the community who loved him as a dear friend.

A private ceremony will be held to celebrate Bob's life, followed by burial of his ashes at a later time in his hometown of Monroe, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Among a treasure trove of happy memories, Bob's family recalls that every year when asked about his resolutions for the New Year, Bob replied, with a smile, "As usual, health and beauty!" We, his family, can say with confidence that he achieved both of those goals and so much more in his 80 years of a life well lived. All of us who knew him and loved him so dearly are, and will forever be, so much the richer for it.