Robert A. "Bob" Servais

Robert A. "Bob" Servais, age 93, of Mansfield, MA, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 31, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Rebecca W. Servais. Bob and Becky spent those decades enjoying the beauty of Pond View Farm, the home that they lovingly restored together.

Bob was born and raised in Mansfield and was a graduate of Mansfield High School. After earning a degree in business administration at UMass Amherst, he joined the Air Force where he served in the Korean War as a first lieutenant manning an early radar post in Japan.

Upon his return to the States, Bob's adventurous nature led him to be a lifeguard in Hawaii, a ski instructor in New Hampshire, and a first career in sales. After raising his family in Walpole, he returned to Mansfield, where he harnessed his passion for working with his hands and was fortunate to build a second career as a home inspector specializing in antique homes.

He was an avid reader and a lifelong learner as well as a skilled craftsman with a passion for woodworking and woodcarving. He was a longtime member of the Attleboro Ski Club and the Chair of the Mansfield Historical Society. A keen sailor, Bob built a number of small boats, eventually moving on to restore larger boats. He was a purist, and his love of, "only wooden," boats ensured he spent many more hours sanding and varnishing than rigging sails. For many years, his boats were featured at the annual Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Show, where his insistence on sleeping on the docks next to his boats provided his family with much levity.
One of his greatest sources of pride and pleasure, was the home he and Becky had created at Pond View, where his insistence on mowing in meticulously 'straight lines' added to his daily enjoyment of nature and his gardens, and where he developed a passion for birdwatching. He was climbing ladders into his 10th decade, had begrudgingly resorted to using a snowblower instead of a shovel after he turned 90.

He is also survived by his children, Meg Mangan, R. Paul Servais, and Peter Servais, four stepchildren, Diane Bethel, John Warfield, Peter Warfield and Elizabeth Fruzzetti, numerous in-laws, sixteen grandchildren and many great grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by his stepson G. Richard Warfield.

Visitation is omitted and services will be private. If you wish to honor Bob's memory, his family asks that donations be made to The Mystic Seaport Museum or The Arbor Day Foundation.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home, 55 North Main Street, Mansfield.

To send his family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com