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Bob Caldwell has notified us of the death of Bob Peace. He died 5-24-17 in Raleigh, NC. of complications from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Bob had been ill for more than a year so the outcome was not a surprise. Bob Caldwell had visited Bob Peace about a month ago at his home. He could not walk, speak or swallow but was strong about fighting the illness and had a good outlook on life. His funeral will be on 5-29-17.
Bob Peace was born in Mt. Lebanon in 1941 to Maine and Virginia Peace and was the 2nd of 3 sons (Maine, JR. and James, along with his parents predeceased him). Bob Peace attended Penn State where he received a degree in economics, and later he earned an MBA from New York University and a law degree from New York Law School. He served in the Vietnam conflict as an officer in the US Marine Corps and was honerably discharged as a Captian. He met his wife, Sandra DeAngelis while attending Penn State. They were married in 1967 and and had recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. She survives him as does their son Robert, Jr. and his (3) grandchildren. Following his military service, he was an officer for Morgan Guarantee Bank (later JP Morgan) in New York before moving to Raleigh, NC in 1976 to work for Carolina Power and Light utility. He joined the faculty at N.C. State University in 1986 in Accounting. After retirement Bob wrote a couple of good selling books. While living in Raleigh he did a lot of jogging and participated in (3) marathons and countless races. In later life he preformed pro bono legal work for the poor and homeless. During his last year when he was stricken with ALS, Bob maintained his philosophy which had guided him throughtout his life; to lean into problems with which he had control, and to accept situations with which he had no control. http://www.dignitymemorial.com/brown-wynne-funeral-home-raleigh/en-us/index.page
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Sue Callahan (Ritter)
This is sad news for me. I feel privileged to have know Bob and have a vivid and beautiful memory of him that will endure. I was so touched recently when I got a response from him after my birthday greeting in which he took the time to write in the midst of suffering....so much strength of heart and mind! Thank you, Bob Coo for facilitating the birthday greetings for him.
Blessings and love to Sandy and the family at this time.
Nancy Sherbondy (Havlik)
Bob Peace was a wonderful guy. My husband Dick and I were lucky enough at our 50th reunion to spend an afternoon with Bob, Bill Hunt and Bob Coo in Bill Hunt's backyard. We reminisced and laughed and shared. Bob had such a suble, funny sense of humor. When we were in high school he told me that my maiden name, Sherbondy, sounded like it should be the name of a brand of canned pinapples! Never forgot that! He saw the world somewhat sideways. I loved his mind and am so grateful I had that special afternoon with him. He will be missed.
Thomas Lyons
Rest in peace Bobby.Tommy Lyons from the Sunset Hills gang.
Robert W. Caldwell
Beautiful Memorial Mass in Raleigh this morning followed by inurnment with Marine Corps Military Honors. Fitting Memorial Day service for a great guy. He'll be missed by all; most of all by his wonderful family. Rest in Peace, Bob.
Paul Franklin
Many fond memories of Bob at Howe School/ Sunset Hills with the baseball gang. A real friend who will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Sandy and your family.
John Roney
RIP Bob, John Roney, neighbor and Sunset Hills resident
Victoria Anderson (Breen)
I really never got to know Bob or Main, but I can see how great a guy Bob was, by the testaments his friends have shared. I saw him as a very quiet, good-looking guy, as I did Main. Sorry I never really had the chance to talk with either. My loss. RIP to both.
Steven F. Cunningham
Rest in peace Bob. A great guy gone too soon. Fond memories of Sunset Hills, baseball, wrestling, and football in the cemetary.
Susan Coulter (Doubles)
Am reading all the comments by classmates on the life of Bob Peace. Such a good looking fun friend...always enjoyed sitting next to him in High School classes! My heart feels sad that his pain & suffering was so deep at the end of his life...my heartfelt sympathy to Bob's family. Isn't it wonderful how our "59" class of high school friends, weather U were close or not, still stirs our hearts with fond memories of each name we read or hear about!! Fondly, Susan Coulter Doubles
Robert G Coo
I hope you don't mind my sharing some thoughts about Bob. Although I knew the end was not far away, it hit me pretty hard.
We had become closer over the last 10 years after meeting up again at various reunions. We got together in Philadelphia and recently in New Orleans with Bill Rehm. We were planning to go to the last reunion and take a final swing through Sunset Hills. But that was when the ALS first surfaced when he woke up one morning with slurred speech.
In January I flew out to Raleigh from the Bay Area and visited Bob and Sandy. The timing was good because Bob was doing relatively well then. He could walk a little with Sandy's help and was still making sandwiches at a homeless shelter. He communicated via a chalk board and seemed to be in good spirits. We watched the Patriots defeat the Steelers in the AFL championship game. I met one of Sandy's brothers who stayed through the first half.
It was the first time I had been in their lovely home. Sandy drove us around Raleigh. I got a good sense of the enviable life that Bob and Sandy led. They were very involved in the community which was centered around the good works of their local Catholic Church. I admired Bob's legal representation of foster children in the Raleigh court system. When we were in Philadelphia together touring the Barnes Museum (we spotted a young, lovely woman in a Renoir that reminded us of Sue Callahan), we reflected on our lives up to that point. I learned a little about his Vietnam experience. He said that he and Sandy had a "great marriage" which was so evident during my visit.
Bob and I had been exchanging emails until about 20 days before his death. He had said that the ALS continued "to do its thing" and that his condition was weakening. He described being carried out to his porch to "watch the birds and the squirrels" and how well he was being taken care of by Sandy. When I hadn't heard anything for a while, I sensed what might be happening. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the memorial because Betsy and I were in Vermont visiting Bill Marshall and Donna at their farm near St. Johnsbury.
Bob and I go way back to Julia Ward Howe kindergarten. Bob, Sandy, and I had a few laughs looking at our class picture on the steps of Howe School. Among the barely recognizable faces we could make out Bob in the front row with outsized ears at that stage.
Bob's life was filled with courageous endeavors, personal accomplishments, and good works. A Marine Captain and platoon leader in the first wave of American soldiers sent to Vietnam, overcoming encephalitis, earning advanced degrees in business and law from NYU at night while working full time and with a young son. In Raleigh he started his own tax accounting practice and then progressed from adjunct teaching to full professor and department head at NC State. He was selected by NC State for a sabbatical in Washington D.C. He also contributed thoughtful op-eds in the local newspapers on a variety of environmental and social justice issues.
I enjoyed reading Bob's mystery. I joked that my only complaint was that I couldn't find myself in any of the characters although there were other obvious ones from high school. Bob promised to rectify that in his next book. Betsy loved the children's book.
Bob had friends from all walks of his life. He had so many attractive qualities. The strong, silent type and as Vicki mentioned "good looking" to boot. There were his Marine Corps buddies, NC State colleagues, the guys who met for coffee in the morning at "Cuppa Joe's" and many others. The same was true at Mt. Lebanon. It was Bob, Bill Marshall, and Bob Sullivan who were my closest friends back then. Bob had many other good friends in high school.
One Howe School experience with Bob particularly stands out in my memory. I remember (like it was yesterday) when he cheered me up in Miss Raynal's 4th grade art class. She asked us to draw a bird. I had no artistic ability, but I did my best. We alll passed our birds to the front of the class. Miss Raynal began showing them one by one to the entire class and identifying the student artist. When she came to mine, she paused, and I think she said something like "oh, the poor thing's dead" and dropped it in the waste basket. Before I could feel too sorry for myself, Bob's picture reached Miss Raynal. She unceremoniously placed it on top of mine.
Bob wrote to me how much our time together had cheered him up and how much he appreciated the concern shown by all of his friends and the visits of Bob Caldwell and Bill Rehm. I feel fortunate that Bob and I reunited over the past few years and became even closer.