Robert E. Yde

Robert E. Yde passed away on Monday, December 18th, lovingly surrounded by his family, after a valiant and courageous battle with malignant melanoma. Bob was born in Freeport, Illinois. He attended the University of Alabama; lettered four years in track; and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Business Administration. After college he went off into the wild blue yonder with the United States Air Force and soon found himself flying 25-hour airborne alert missions to the Russian border as a member of a combat ready SAC B-52 crew during the Cold War. After his Air Force service Yde worked with Southern Bell Telephone Company in Alabama. It was in Mobile that Bob became involved in civic activities and was one of the members of a group that brought special events like the Senior Bowl Football Game and America's Junior Miss Pageant to the city. Soon he was working with network production teams on those events and many more and, after producing everything from concerts featuring people like Bob Hope, Bill Cosby and Grand Funk Railroad; and creating and producing the original concert version of "Jesus Christ, Superstar", not to mention a Broadway musical "Hard Job Being God", Yde decided to concentrate on his first love - television. In 1973 he teamed up with his wife Cassie both in marriage and as business partners. Bob was a television producer, director and writer and Cassie made up the other half of the team covering post production. They traveled throughout the USA and the world producing for the small screen. There aren't many marriages that could stand the test of all those hours of togetherness but Bob and Cassie's relationship thrived on being together. Bob lived his life and most times at such a frantic pace everyone had trouble keeping up with him. He never met a stranger and he touched so many lives in ways even he never fully realized. Bob was very proud of his children and grandchildren and their accomplishments. His granddaughter Grace spent much of the past year taking care of her grandfather so that Cassie could keep the business going that he loved so much. Bob is survived by his wife of 33 years, Cassie M. Yde; son, James Robert Yde and his wife Kathleen of Chuluota, Florida; daughter, Karen Ann Ozolnieks and her husband Paul of Oviedo, Florida; son, John David Yde and his wife Jill of Davenport, Florida; grandchildren, Clayton Hampton Yde and Grace Ann Ozolnieks.