Robert "Bob" Delwiche

HENDERSONVILLE-Robert Richard "Bob" Delwiche, 85, passed away Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at the UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC.
Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bob was the eldest of twelve brothers and sisters. He knew from a very early age that he wanted to be a chemical engineer, and he studied and practiced around the farm and dairy that was part of the family's business. He graduated from University of Wisconsin with bachelor's of science degree in chemical engineering and served in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant. He joined the E. I. Dupont de Nemours company after discharge and developed his expertise in polymers there. His work took him across the United States recruiting new employees, and eventually around the world, consulting with and working on various polymer lines as they were built and developed. His employment first brought him to western North Carolina as the Dupont plant was being built, a project he was especially proud to participate in.
Bob's desire to learn and explore reached beyond his professional life. It led him to join or help found clubs around western North Carolina, and to take classes at the community colleges or universities wherever he lived. Friends and family will remember him for his involvement in activities as wide-ranging as the Apple Country Ski Club, his decades-long work as a senior judge of the Antique Automobile Club of America, ham radio operations, computer clubs and repair, auto restoration and repair work, engine and tractor club Harvest Days, and more. A joy of his later life was his participation on a support team for an entrant in the Great Race, which allowed him to reconnect with friends in every town through which they traveled.
Bob met his future wife Betty at a barn dance in Cedar Mountain, NC, which was the nearest he could find to a polka in the mountains. The two soon married and had their much-loved daughter, Elizabeth. A faithful member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Bob continued to love music, singing in the church's choir since it began.
Bob was the son of the late Frank and Goldie Delwiche. He was also preceded in death by his brother, Jerry Delwiche, and sister, Marcia Treml. Bob is survived by his wife of fifty-four years Betty Whitmire Delwiche of Hendersonville, NC; his daughter, Dr. Elizabeth Sanders Delwiche Engelhardt, of Chapel Hill, NC; his siblings: Ellen Weber, Daniel Delwiche, Cathy Foxworth, Ed Delwiche, Carol Delwiche, Frances Delwiche, Lois Zamzow, Joni Delwiche, Ron Delwiche; and family members on both his and his wife's sides and many friends.
Details on a celebration of Bob's life are still being finalized; when it happens, please come tell stories of his many adventures, solutions to vexing engineering problems, and the quiet ways he was always ready to lend a hand. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Bob's honor to the Friends of DuPont Forest (https://www.dupontforest.com/donate/).
Shuler Funeral Home is honored to assist Bob's family with his arrangements.