Robert C. Cheesman

Bob Cheesman passed away peacefully at the Kingsway Arms Nursing Center on Friday, Nov. 20. He was 94, and was proud to tell everyone that his drivers license would be good until he was 100, although he spent recent months rolling around Kingsway in his wheelchair. He was born on March 10, 1926, at Saranac Lake, New York. He was raised by his mother, Ruth Zerfass Cheesman and father, Clyde C. Cheesman. Bob helped at the family's IGA grocery store, and enjoyed science and shop class in high school. Upon graduation, he joined the Army Air Force as a radio operator, stationed in Italy at the end of the war. He had fond memories of the hospitality of the locals. After leaving the Air Force, he attended Rochester Polytechnic Institute, in the drafting program. He met Joan Fales in Rochester, and they married in 1951. Bob was recruited by General Electric, and they moved to the Schenectady area. He spent much of his work life at GE with Gas Turbine and Knolls Atomic Power Lab. He worked for a time at Electro-Metrics in Amsterdam, and finished his career as an electronics technician with GE Global Research. Bob and Joan lived first in Rotterdam Junction, where Bob helped build their house on the Mohawk River, and had four children. The family moved later to Charlton, giving the children the opportunity to attend school at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Bob and Joan remained there on Maplewood Drive for 50 years. In 2015, Bob and Joan moved to a senior apartment at the Summit at Glenwyck, in Scotia. Bob enjoyed socializing and was one of the regulars at the vegetable garden. His wife passed away late in 2019, shortly after they celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary. Bob then moved to the Kingsway Community in Schenectady, where he was loved by the staff, who appreciated his friendliness and good spirits. He is survived by her his son, David Cheesman, daughters Nancy Siska, Betsy Barrera, and Pati Cheesman, as well as grand-children and great grand-children living in New York, California, and Texas. He was a member of the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady for many years, was a stage manager at the Schenectady Civic Playhouse, and was a tour guide for the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in Scotia. Bob donated his body to Albany Medical College. A memorial service will be held in the future.