Robert Conall Bent

Robert "Bob" C. Bent, 66, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, went home to be with the Lord on October 31st surrounded by loved ones at the Cleveland Clinic due to complications following heart surgery. Though it was his heart that failed him in the end, those who knew him can attest - Bob's heart was enormous. He gave it fully to his family, his faith, his work, and just about anyone who needed a hand, advice, or an obscure drawing of a ship's generator schematic.

Born on April 20, 1959, in Boston, Massachusetts, to the late Russell and Estelle Bent, Bob grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he had a reputation for being both very smart and a little bit of a troublemaker.

At the age of eighteen, Bob enlisted in the United States Navy, where he proudly served for 17 years with honor, retiring as an Electrician's Mate Senior Chief Petty Officer (Surface Warfare). His shipmates knew him also as a bit of a troublemaker, but also as a dependable man who was the go-to guy for fixing anything electrical that was broken. For more details on his remarkable Navy career, please visit: https://navylog.navymemorial.org/bent-robert-3.

When he retired from the Navy, Bob did what he always did - got right back to work. He spent his second career as an Electrical Engineering Technician at the Naval Sea Support Center Atlantic, Fleet Technical Support Center Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

And because "retirement" was a word Bob never really understood, he went on to teach and share his expertise as an Adjunct Electrical Instructor at Tidewater Community College and worked as an Electrical Engineering Consultant with The GBS Group in Virginia Beach.

A devout Catholic, Bob was a faithful parishioner at the Church of the Ascension in Virginia Beach. His faith was steady, humble, and shown most clearly in his everyday kindness, quiet generosity, and devotion to family.

He is survived by the family he deeply loved and was devoted to: his beloved wife, Rita; his daughter Jennifer Herring and son-in-law Scott (Anacortes, Washington); daughters Katherine Guevara; Roshan Guevara; and Jasmine Guevara.

Bob also leaves behind his siblings: Barbara O'Brien (Wakefield, MA); Kathleen Blanchard and her late husband Paul (South Grafton, MA); Russell Bent and his wife Ellen (Tewksbury, MA); Thomas Bent and his wife Roseanne (Somerville, MA); and Michael Bent and his wife Linda (Belmont, MA). He is also survived by 13 nieces and nephews.

Bob loved his family, his faith, his country, and seeing the world. He believed in hard work, life's simple comforts like good coffee (Dunkin Donuts large hot coffee extra cream and two Stevia), and the idea that if something's worth doing, it's worth doing right. His humor, perseverance, generosity, and unstoppable energy will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and on Thursday, December 4, 2025, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM at Altmeyer Funeral Home. A Catholic Mass will follow on Thursday, December 4, at 11:00 AM at Church of the Ascension, 4853 Princess Anne Rd #1, Virginia Beach. After the Mass, there will be a funeral procession to Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, 5310 Milners Rd, Suffolk, for a Military Funeral Honors and interment, beginning at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sponsoring a child or making a one-time donation to Unbound:

Unbound, 1 Elmwood Ave., Kansas City, KS 66103

Phone: 800-875-6564

https://www.unbound.org/DonationFunds/General