Robert P Komstock, 66, of Pittsburgh, died February 20, 2021 after a quiet, courageous battle with cancer.
Affectionately known as "Bobby Magee," a nickname he acquired somewhere between Whippo Avenue playground and Jake's Bar, Rob grew up in Butler, attending (surviving) St Paul's School, St Fidelis, where he played basketball, and finally graduating from BHS in 1973. Many wonderful friends were made throughout the years he spent in Butler working and performing in MTG shows. His family was actually able to convince him to just sing and to retire the trumpet he sometimes liked to pull out of the attic and play out the window on Brown Ave. With MTG, he entertained us in many shows including Damn Yankees and Jesus Christ Superstar. He also spent time singing in a barbershop quartet.
Rob, along with his twin brother, went on to graduate in 1991 from Holy Family University in Bristol, PA where he discovered an affinity for foreign languages. Being fluent in Spanish, he moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, working as bar manager at the famous El Batey Tavern and as a copy editor at The San Juan Star. His years in Puerto Rico were always recalled with such fondness, stories of beautiful people and a welcoming island.
Rob eventually made his way back to PA, living in York and for the last several years in Pittsburgh working for the Tribune Review and Valley News. Living in Pittsburgh, he loved to see shows at the Benedum and Heinz Hall with his good friends who shared his love of musicals.
For Rob, the most important and fulfilling work he felt he did on this Earth was the volunteering he did with animals. On many of his days off and before work, he would walk dogs at Humane Animal Rescue on Pittsburgh's North Side. He had a particular soft spot for "the bullies." So much so that he would go on to travel to the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah (where he met the famous Hector, a pitfall who survived Mike Vick) and Santuario De Animales San Francisco De Asis in Cabo Rojo, PR, helping in anyway he could, never meeting a dog or cat that didn't get his time, attention and affection.
The last few years, the month of June would find him shining up his Jeep and bringing it back to his hometown for Butler's Jeep Festival. It was time spent catching up with wonderful old friends in a hometown he still loved.
Niece and nephew, Heidi and Brian, will always be thankful to Rob for teaching them to drive his Nova when they were 11 and 12 on and around Portman Road. They are still impressed with his ability
to stay calm when one of them "missed the bend" on Pine Drive, landing the Nova on an embankment. True grace under pressure from the backseat.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Margaret Komstock and his beloved brother in law, Jim Kurtz.
Rob is survived by his twin brother, Richard of Butler, sisters Carol Komstock of Riverside, RI and Virginia Kurtz of Pittsburgh, and his best friend/domestic companion, Rhonda Rose, who took loving, dignified care of him throughout his illness. He will undoubtedly be greatly missed by his cat, Izzy, whom he loved fiercely.
In honor of a life well lived, we invite all to do good in his memory. (Bonus points if it's toward a beloved Pit Bull.)
Affectionately known as "Bobby Magee," a nickname he acquired somewhere between Whippo Avenue playground and Jake's Bar, Rob grew up in Butler, attending (surviving) St Paul's School, St Fidelis, where he played basketball, and finally graduating from BHS in 1973. Many wonderful friends were made throughout the years he spent in Butler working and performing in MTG shows. His family was actually able to convince him to just sing and to retire the trumpet he sometimes liked to pull out of the attic and play out the window on Brown Ave. With MTG, he entertained us in many shows including Damn Yankees and Jesus Christ Superstar. He also spent time singing in a barbershop quartet.
Rob, along with his twin brother, went on to graduate in 1991 from Holy Family University in Bristol, PA where he discovered an affinity for foreign languages. Being fluent in Spanish, he moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, working as bar manager at the famous El Batey Tavern and as a copy editor at The San Juan Star. His years in Puerto Rico were always recalled with such fondness, stories of beautiful people and a welcoming island.
Rob eventually made his way back to PA, living in York and for the last several years in Pittsburgh working for the Tribune Review and Valley News. Living in Pittsburgh, he loved to see shows at the Benedum and Heinz Hall with his good friends who shared his love of musicals.
For Rob, the most important and fulfilling work he felt he did on this Earth was the volunteering he did with animals. On many of his days off and before work, he would walk dogs at Humane Animal Rescue on Pittsburgh's North Side. He had a particular soft spot for "the bullies." So much so that he would go on to travel to the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah (where he met the famous Hector, a pitfall who survived Mike Vick) and Santuario De Animales San Francisco De Asis in Cabo Rojo, PR, helping in anyway he could, never meeting a dog or cat that didn't get his time, attention and affection.
The last few years, the month of June would find him shining up his Jeep and bringing it back to his hometown for Butler's Jeep Festival. It was time spent catching up with wonderful old friends in a hometown he still loved.
Niece and nephew, Heidi and Brian, will always be thankful to Rob for teaching them to drive his Nova when they were 11 and 12 on and around Portman Road. They are still impressed with his ability
to stay calm when one of them "missed the bend" on Pine Drive, landing the Nova on an embankment. True grace under pressure from the backseat.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Margaret Komstock and his beloved brother in law, Jim Kurtz.
Rob is survived by his twin brother, Richard of Butler, sisters Carol Komstock of Riverside, RI and Virginia Kurtz of Pittsburgh, and his best friend/domestic companion, Rhonda Rose, who took loving, dignified care of him throughout his illness. He will undoubtedly be greatly missed by his cat, Izzy, whom he loved fiercely.
In honor of a life well lived, we invite all to do good in his memory. (Bonus points if it's toward a beloved Pit Bull.)
Robert P Komstock, 66, of Pittsburgh, died February 20, 2021 after a quiet, courageous battle with cancer.
Affectionately known as "Bobby Magee," a nickname he acquired somewhere between Whippo Avenue playground and Jake's Bar, Rob grew up in Butler, attending (surviving) St Paul's School, St Fidelis, where he played basketball, and finally graduating from BHS in 1973. Many wonderful friends were made throughout the years he spent in Butler working and performing in MTG shows. His family was actually able to convince him to just sing and to retire the trumpet he sometimes liked to pull out of the attic and play out the window on Brown Ave. With MTG, he entertained us in many shows including Damn Yankees and Jesus Christ Superstar. He also spent time singing in a barbershop quartet.
Rob, along with his twin brother, went on to graduate in 1991 from Holy Family University in Bristol, PA where he discovered an affinity for foreign languages. Being fluent in Spanish, he moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, working as bar manager at the famous El Batey Tavern and as a copy editor at The San Juan Star. His years in Puerto Rico were always recalled with such fondness, stories of beautiful people and a welcoming island.
Rob eventually made his way back to PA, living in York and for the last several years in Pittsburgh working for the Tribune Review and Valley News. Living in Pittsburgh, he loved to see shows at the Benedum and Heinz Hall with his good friends who shared his love of musicals.
For Rob, the most important and fulfilling work he felt he did on this Earth was the volunteering he did with animals. On many of his days off and before work, he would walk dogs at Humane Animal Rescue on Pittsburgh's North Side. He had a particular soft spot for "the bullies." So much so that he would go on to travel to the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah (where he met the famous Hector, a pitfall who survived Mike Vick) and Santuario De Animales San Francisco De Asis in Cabo Rojo, PR, helping in anyway he could, never meeting a dog or cat that didn't get his time, attention and affection.
The last few years, the month of June would find him shining up his Jeep and bringing it back to his hometown for Butler's Jeep Festival. It was time spent catching up with wonderful old friends in a hometown he still loved.
Niece and nephew, Heidi and Brian, will always be thankful to Rob for teaching them to drive his Nova when they were 11 and 12 on and around Portman Road. They are still impressed with his ability
to stay calm when one of them "missed the bend" on Pine Drive, landing the Nova on an embankment. True grace under pressure from the backseat.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Margaret Komstock and his beloved brother in law, Jim Kurtz.
Rob is survived by his twin brother, Richard of Butler, sisters Carol Komstock of Riverside, RI and Virginia Kurtz of Pittsburgh, and his best friend/domestic companion, Rhonda Rose, who took loving, dignified care of him throughout his illness. He will undoubtedly be greatly missed by his cat, Izzy, whom he loved fiercely.
In honor of a life well lived, we invite all to do good in his memory. (Bonus points if it's toward a beloved Pit Bull.)
Affectionately known as "Bobby Magee," a nickname he acquired somewhere between Whippo Avenue playground and Jake's Bar, Rob grew up in Butler, attending (surviving) St Paul's School, St Fidelis, where he played basketball, and finally graduating from BHS in 1973. Many wonderful friends were made throughout the years he spent in Butler working and performing in MTG shows. His family was actually able to convince him to just sing and to retire the trumpet he sometimes liked to pull out of the attic and play out the window on Brown Ave. With MTG, he entertained us in many shows including Damn Yankees and Jesus Christ Superstar. He also spent time singing in a barbershop quartet.
Rob, along with his twin brother, went on to graduate in 1991 from Holy Family University in Bristol, PA where he discovered an affinity for foreign languages. Being fluent in Spanish, he moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, working as bar manager at the famous El Batey Tavern and as a copy editor at The San Juan Star. His years in Puerto Rico were always recalled with such fondness, stories of beautiful people and a welcoming island.
Rob eventually made his way back to PA, living in York and for the last several years in Pittsburgh working for the Tribune Review and Valley News. Living in Pittsburgh, he loved to see shows at the Benedum and Heinz Hall with his good friends who shared his love of musicals.
For Rob, the most important and fulfilling work he felt he did on this Earth was the volunteering he did with animals. On many of his days off and before work, he would walk dogs at Humane Animal Rescue on Pittsburgh's North Side. He had a particular soft spot for "the bullies." So much so that he would go on to travel to the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah (where he met the famous Hector, a pitfall who survived Mike Vick) and Santuario De Animales San Francisco De Asis in Cabo Rojo, PR, helping in anyway he could, never meeting a dog or cat that didn't get his time, attention and affection.
The last few years, the month of June would find him shining up his Jeep and bringing it back to his hometown for Butler's Jeep Festival. It was time spent catching up with wonderful old friends in a hometown he still loved.
Niece and nephew, Heidi and Brian, will always be thankful to Rob for teaching them to drive his Nova when they were 11 and 12 on and around Portman Road. They are still impressed with his ability
to stay calm when one of them "missed the bend" on Pine Drive, landing the Nova on an embankment. True grace under pressure from the backseat.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Margaret Komstock and his beloved brother in law, Jim Kurtz.
Rob is survived by his twin brother, Richard of Butler, sisters Carol Komstock of Riverside, RI and Virginia Kurtz of Pittsburgh, and his best friend/domestic companion, Rhonda Rose, who took loving, dignified care of him throughout his illness. He will undoubtedly be greatly missed by his cat, Izzy, whom he loved fiercely.
In honor of a life well lived, we invite all to do good in his memory. (Bonus points if it's toward a beloved Pit Bull.)
Gravesite Details
cremains buried near Grandparents Stephen and Mary Komstock
Family Members
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