Robert (Bob) Husbands

Pensacola - Robert (Bob) Lewis Husbands passed away peacefully at his home in Pensacola, FL, on June 16, 2024, after a long illness. His cherished wife of nearly forty-nine years, Gail Pearce Husbands, was at his side. Bob was born on July 24, 1944, in Edisto Swamp, SC, to Fred Collins and Roseva Riley Husbands, and spent his youth in the Southeast.

Upon graduation as valedictorian of Manor High School, Bob completed Oglethorpe University on a full scholarship. He traveled to India as a Fulbright Scholar, where he enjoyed a visit to the Taj Mahal and tea with Indira Gandhi. While waiting to assume his assignment in the Peace Corps, Bob was drafted. After serving in the US Navy, he entered the field of public education, where he began as a high school teacher and principal in Waycross, GA. As the Executive Director of the Escambia Education Association for more than twenty years, Bob worked tirelessly for the rights of both faculty and students. His efforts earned him multiple accolades, including a life-long membership in the PTA from the Escambia County Council of PTAs.

As a father, Bob was a pillar of inspiration and love; nothing pleased him more than adventures with his only son and the three precious grandchildren that were the light of his life. A longtime member of Christ Church Episcopal, Bob believed in a life of faith, leaving a proud legacy of service and kindness. Bob will be dearly missed by his many EEA friends and colleagues, his Azalea Trace "family," and the much-loved Tuesday Dinner Group. He is survived by his devoted wife, Gail Pearce Husbands, sister Eva Lynn Ratliff (Mike) of Nashville, brother David Husbands (Margaret) of Macon, GA, beloved son Collin and grandchildren Jackson Pearce, Riley Dunwoody, and Georgia Catherine Husbands (Catherine Dunwoody Jackson) of Nashville, TN and sister-in-law Lana Helton (Ed) of Columbus, GA.

Services will be held at 1:00 pm on July 24, 2024, Christ Church Episcopal, 18 West Wright Street, Pensacola, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ Church Episcopal for the Sam Boney Music/Scholarship Fund. For the full obituary, please go to family-funeral.com.