Robert James Huggins III

1950 - 2017

Robert James "Bob" Huggins III, 66, passed away February 20, 2017 in Charlotte, NC. He was born in Johnson City, TN on October 31, 1950 to Eunice and Robert J. Huggins, Jr. Bob's mother passed away shortly after his birth and Bob was raised by Nancy D. and Robert Huggins, Jr.

Bob is survived by his wife of 35 years, Mary Lynne Chalfant Huggins; his brother, Rick Huggins (Jane); his stepdaughters, Ellen Batton (Johnny) and Catherine Walker (Arthur); his sister-in-law, Suzzy Payne (Keith); and his eight step-grandchildren: Kristy Lynne, Joseph, Mary Laurel, Brittiany, Tiffiany, Michael, Jonathan, and Emily. He is predeceased by his parents.

Bob graduated from Independence HS in 1969 and went to Parris Island, SC to join the Marine Corps. Serving to defend our country, he became a corporal and an avionics technician and was honorably discharged after four years.

Bob's first and only job after leaving the Marine Corps was at Rexham Corp. (now known as Coveris) in Matthews, NC. Bob started out on the loading dock and worked his way up, becoming a well-respected senior engineer in Product Development for Rexham, traveling the world to England, Japan, and Taiwan on behalf of the company. His work also sent him to California, Arizona, and Massachusetts many times. He took year-long assignments in Indiana and South Carolina. Bob loved his job and said he was never bored. He never complained about being called in the middle of the night during a product run. In fact, he loved going in to solve a problem. He received letters of commendation several times during his career of 33 years. Upon Bob's 20th anniversary of employment with Rexham, a letter to Bob from management stated, "Bobby, you set an example of technical and people leadership that both current and new team members would do well to study and follow. Your accomplishments over the last 20 years are significant and too numerous to cover completely. Your technical ingenuity and long hours delivered success when a lot of us were ready to throw in the towel. You have been a substantial factor at Rexham and we are confident that you will help take us even further over the next 20 years." Some of Bob's co-worker friends were Paul Hager, Fred Braswell, Terry Mauney, Lagette Goodrum, Steve Morton, Jimmy Goddard, Jack Connelly, Jim Farris, Dan Peterson, Wayne Moore, Dan Miller, Doug Mapes and others.

Bob loved many things in addition to his family and his job at Rexham. He loved going to his grandparents' farm in Elizabethton, TN. He loved rock 'n' roll, especially ZZ Top, Santana, CCR, The Marshall Tucker Band and Jimmy Hendrix, and in high school Bob led a band called The Counts (members were Mike Hager, Tommy Outen, and Dave Hahn). Bob loved his 1970 Dodge Charger and his fellow Charger-owner friend, John Presson, playing golf with his golfing buddies, Jimmy, Steve, Fred, Herb and others, his friends from Intergroup, grilling out pork ribs and hotdogs, feeding and watching his backyard birds, watching old movies and action movies (his favorites being King Kong, Alien, and The Thing), and reading military history and science fiction. Bob's family considered him an expert on history, astronomy, and NASA. He would watch the NASA channel for hours on end. He liked fishing from the pier at Topsail Island and cherished fishing with his younger brother, Rick, at the Apache Pier in Myrtle Beach. He enjoyed camping and backpacking in the mountains of NC with Mary Lynne, Ellen, and Catherine. Cruises were something else Bob enjoyed. His first cruise was courtesy of the USMC to the Mediterranean on the USS Inchon. He and Mary Lynne took cruises to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, and Venezuela. Bob was very healthy until advanced Alzheimer's eroded his memories and took away his independence.

Bob's upbringing helped to shape his entire life and his attitude toward the value of hard work and thanking God for his blessings. He had a willing heart, always eager to be helpful, especially with any needs of his extended family, often serving as chauffer-in-chief. Bob approached life's events with realism, but always with an optimistic, encouraging attitude. Bob was a man of few words, preferring to observe, listen and learn. You can bet that if Bob said something that it was thoroughly thought out before it left his mouth.

Bob's family is overjoyed that he is free from his suffering.

Deepest thanks to the extremely hardworking and caring employees of Legacy Heights Memory Care and of Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region.

There will be a memorial service held at 1:00 PM on Friday, February 24, 2017 at St. Michael the Archangel Anglican Church, 2211 Margaret Wallace Rd, Matthews NC 28105. A reception in the parish hall will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region through their website, hpccr.thankyou4caring.org, or mailed to 1420 East Seventh Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Robertson Funeral and Cremation Service is serving the family, www.throbertson.com.