Robert Edward "Bob" Partridge

Bob Partridge passed away at the Sarasota home he loved on February 22nd. Born in Canada in 1934, he was one year-old when he returned to New Castle Upon Tyne, England, with his British Mother. During the WWII bombing of the industrial cities of the UK, Bob was evacuated to the countryside from ages six to nine, and lived -- the only boy in an all-girls' school -- in Northumberland, England, at Wallington Hall, the ancestral home of Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1st Baronet. He credited those years for his ability to ultimately elevate himself from "working class" England -- an exceedingly rare accomplishment for his generation of British citizens. Serving a seven-year apprenticeship in the printing trades beginning at age 14, Bob received certification from the Newcastle upon Tyne College of Art and Design in 1955. He served in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1957. Bob had a lifelong career in the printing business, beginning in England and continuing in Vancouver, Canada, where he emigrated at age 30 with his first wife, Jean, and two young children. He retired at age 54, as sales manager and part owner of Broadway Printers in Vancouver. He moved to be with his new wife, Mary, to Rhinebeck, New York, where they lived for 23 years, becoming a US citizen in 1994. Bob spent most of his adult life in artistic and creative pursuits: painting in acrylics (he enjoyed many commissions and had several one-man shows in Canada and the US); designing and executing gardens; building rock walls and rock gardens; and "wood-butchering," as he called his woodworking projects. Bob Partridge is survived by his wife of 35 years, Mary Myerson of Sarasota (where they have lived for 13 years); his two daughters, Gina Gay Partridge-Grzimek (Daniel Hamnett) and Trudi Louise Partridge; his two granddaughters, Louis and Hannah Grzimek; a sister, Evelyn Anderson (David); and many friends who loved and admired him. Private services are to be held in Bob's honor. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Donate by phone: (800) 608-3023; or https://www.stjude.org/donate/srch/st-jude-donation.html? (or to any charity you may choose).