Robert Owen Whaley

Robert "Bob" Whaley was born in Victoria, Virginia on June 22nd, 1926 to Harry Easley Whaley ("Doc") and Vera Lambdin Whaley ("Truth"). He was predeceased by his older brothers Fred ("Eeek"), John ("Bugs"), and Ben ("Red"). His younger sister, Janet Larie ("Sister") of Charlottesville, survives him. He passed away from heart failure at age 97 on July 4th, 2023 at the Hospice of the Piedmont in Charlottesville, Virginia.

As an infant, Bob almost died from whooping cough (a preventative vaccine was not yet available). The illness led to his small size as a youth and his nickname, "Bump." However, after a growth spurt in high school, he became a tall and vigorous man.

Growing up, he slept in an unheated attic with his brothers. In summer heat waves they threw their mattresses out of the window and slept on the lawn. As a son of a country doctor he lived a life of relative privilege, but during the depression, his family often ate food provided in lieu of payment for "Doc's" services. Before refrigerators were common, he would follow the ice truck, hoping to get some free ice chippings. He claimed to be a terrible cut-up in class and was often in trouble at school. Once he arrived home after school to find his teacher and mother crying in each other's arms in frustration at his most recent classroom misadventure.

Bob enlisted in the Navy in 1944, after his junior year of high school just before his 18th birthday. The Navy quickly trained him and assigned him to LST and LSM amphibious ships. Soon he found himself sailing the Pacific Ocean in the final days of WWII. He worked in the engine room as his ships visited San Francisco, Seattle, Hawaii, Guam, China, and eventually Japan.

Bob graduated from Virginia Tech in 1950 on the GI Bill. In 1952 he and Sally Ingle were married. He often said he married her because of her wonderful laugh. They lived in Virginia most of their lives and moved to Charlottesville in 1967. He died one day shy of their 71st wedding anniversary.

He worked for The Michie Company (eventually LexusNexus) from 1967 until his retirement in 1989 as Director of Manufacturing.

A lifelong lover of swimming and nature, Bob was inspired by the natural beauty of central Virginia to take up canoeing. Starting in the late 1960s and continuing until 2010, he was able to paddle most of the white water rivers and streams of Virginia and many of the streams in West Virginia, North Carolina and other Eastern states. He had many adventures canoeing wilderness rivers in Alaska, Canada and the Western states. He said he would continue to paddle only as long as he could participate without being a burden to his canoeing partners, and he was still a very capable paddler when he finally quit at 84 years old. To learn more of his canoeing adventures and see his map of all the Virginia streams he paddled visit: https://rowhaley.github.io/rowhaley.

Bob was an intellectually curious and inventive man, and insisted on telling the truth. An independent thinker, he rode a bicycle to work decades before there were bike lanes. His yard was moss instead of grass. He drove his van with a canoe on top and a bicycle for the shuttle, in order to be ready to paddle as soon as the water was 'up'.

He loved to rough-house with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and they loved him for that. In his final years he would often say that he had been lucky to have such a wonderful life and to have such great memories.

He is survived by his wife Sally, his sister Janet Larie, his son Robert (Susan Seidler) all of Charlottesville, his daughter Beth Johnson (Warren) of Suffolk, his grandchildren Christopher Johnson (Ashley) of Liberty, SC, and Mary Beth Miller (Alan), and his great-grandchildren Sarah Embry, Holton, and Elliott Miller, all of Orange. Also surviving him are his cousin and childhood friend Leigh ("Tippy") Whaley and his sister in law Janie Whaley. He was "Uncle Bump" to many nephews and nieces, two of whom, Ned Michie (Karen) and George Michie (Miette), live in Charlottesville.

His family would like to thank his canoeing friends with whom he enjoyed so many adventures and who kept up with him in his later years. They would also like to thank all of his caregivers who were so kind and gave him opportunities to share his many interesting stories.

Gifts in memory of Bob may be made to American Rivers, an organization dedicated to the protection of the streams and rivers Bob loved. Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a future date.