Dr. Robert E. Saltmarsh

Dr. Robert E Saltmarsh, crossed his last goal line on April 13, 2019 at the age of 88, of natural causes. He was surrounded and is survived by his daughters Sue, Kathy, and Kerry, son-in-law Chris Smith and treasured granddaughters Camille and Tess.

Bob, or "Salty" as he was called, was born in Sidney, Ohio and lived most of his formative years in West Milton, where he first discovered one of the guiding lights of his life – football. A member of the Milton-Union High School Bulldogs, he was recruited to Miami University by none other than Woody Hayes and became a Miami Redskin (he would never accept the politically correct name change to Redhawks) on a football scholarship.

While at Miami in Oxford, Ohio, two significant things happened. He was part of the Salad Bowl team that beat Arizona State in 1951 under Coach Ara Parseghian and he met his future wife, Markay Hendricks,who passed away in 2015.

One of his greatest joys was keeping in touch with former teammates and players. He loved to hear from players he'd coached and even after he wasn't physically able, he would long to travel to Oxford for the annual reunion of that team and share the memories of their glory days together. His daughters like to think of those guys who passed before him welcoming him to the Big Game!

In addition to his family and football, education and counseling were the focus of his later career. After marrying Markay, he taught Biology at Lemon Monroe and Princeton high schools near Cincinnati, also coaching their football teams. It was while coaching that he saw the importance of caring for the total player, not just the athlete. In 1965, he moved the family from Ohio to Bloomington, Indiana where he earned his PhD in Educational Psychology and Guidance from Indiana University.

After graduating, he began his college teaching career in the Educational Psychology and Guidance Department at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. He later became Chairman of the Department. In addition to teaching he served as NCAA faculty representative for 14 years. He also had a private marriage and family counseling practice. When he retired in 1997, many former students and colleagues filled the room at his party and many heartfelt stories were told.

Bob and Markay moved from Charleston to Springfield's Villas at Pine Creek to be near middle daughter Kathy, being joined by Sue in 2014. After Markay's death in 2015, Salty moved to Centennial Pointe Assisted Living where the incredible staff took care of him as his health declined until the end.

His life was long and full and he leaves behind a legacy of valuing learning, generosity, compassion, and the bonding of teamwork to achieve the victories life offers. As was his wish, his daughters will scatter his ashes on the football fields where he played. In lieu of condolences, you can celebrate Bob's/Coach's/Salty's victories by making donations to either Miami University (https://www.givetomiamioh.org/) or Eastern Illinois University (https://www.eiu.edu/develop/) and cards may be sent to Sue Saltmarsh, 517 S. Park Ave, Springfield, IL. 62704. Bisch Funeral Home West is in charge of arrangements, www.bischfuneralhomewest.com.