Robert Thomas Darcy

1925 - 2016

Robert Thomas Bob' Darcy November 20, 1925 - August 20, 2016 San Diego Captain Robert Thomas Darcy, USN (Retired) passed away of natural causes on August 20, 2016. Robert (Bob) lived a wonderful 90-year life as a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Naval Officer and Aviator, and aerospace engineering manager in private industry. He was married for 57 years to his loving wife, Catherine Ruth Darcy (Ruth), who passed away on January 29, 2007.Together, Bob and Ruth were dedicated to each other and to all of their family and friends throughout the country and the world following Bob's thirty-four-year Navy career, his subsequent ten-plus year McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) career, and their retirement in Vista, California. They are survived by their sons Tom (and Jan) of San Diego, California, Steve (and Martha) of San Martin, California, and Craig (and Margaret) of Corona, California, as well as their ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.Bob was born in Woodside, Long Island, New York, on November 20, 1925, the son of John Thomas and Amy (Hambasian) Darcy, and had one sister, Joan (deceased). He entered the Navy in 1943, and after completing flight training he was designated a Naval Aviator and commissioned in May of 1947. He attended Franklin and Marshall College, earned a Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, specializing in Guided Missiles and Automatic Control, and was awarded a Master of Science in Engineering degree from the University of Michigan.Bob's naval operational assignments spanned both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, including aircraft commander duty in trans-Atlantic support of the Berlin airlift and trans-Pacific support of the Korean conflict. He later served in Patrol Squadron VP-18, and as Executive Officer of Air Antisubmarine Squadron VS-23 and later VS-38, where he subsequently assumed command of the squadron. He was deployed aboard the USS YORKTOWN (CVS-10) and USS BENNINGTON (CVS-20), and was awarded two Air Medals for operations in support of the Vietnam war. Following his duty in the Vietnam war, he served as Commander, Carrier Antisubmarine Air Group Fifty-One (CVSG-51), where he was responsible for the training of all officer and enlisted aviation personnel destined for Pacific Fleet antisubmarine warfare fixed-wing and helicopter carrier based squadrons.His significant naval shore duty assignments included serving in the Bureau of Naval Weapons and Weapons Systems Evaluation Group on a wide variety of aircraft, satellite and missile development projects, and he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal during this duty. He was later assigned to the Naval Electronics Systems Command where he ultimately assumed responsibility as Deputy Manager and then Manager, Navy Space Project, and concurrently served on the Chief of Naval Operations Research and Development Staff as Director, Space and Command, Control and Communications Division. He received a Presidential-awarded Legion of Merit Medal for his "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services," and the Navy Space Project Group was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation by the Secretary of the Navy during this period.Bob has also received the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (2 stars) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal during his Navy career.After retiring from the Navy, Bob worked for McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), in a variety of aerospace engineering leadership roles, including those related to development of missile guidance systems. Bob will be missed very much by his family and friends. His Navy Military Honors Service will be held at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 10:30 a.m.