Robert William Gehrman, Jr. passed away April 22 at the age of 73 after a brief illness. He was a proud husband, father, "Oompa" and former AT&T Bell Telephone executive. Most recently a resident of Charlotte, NC, Bob had lived around the country during his ascent through the various Baby Bell companies' installation and repair management divisions. He was born in Buffalo and grew up in Tonawanda, graduating from O'Hara High School in 1965. Bob met Suzanne (Sue) McGuire, of Kenmore, NY, and wed in 1967. They had three sons, Robert, Scott and Eric.
After four years of service in the US Navy and serving on the Polaris nuclear submarine USS Robert E. Lee, SSBN 601, Bob started a long career working for Bell Telephone. As a sonar technician assigned to the submarine service, he completed 4 years of 60-day underwater tours serving his country. With a work-hard attitude, he started with Bell as a NY Telephone Company coin collector collecting change from phone booths, soon thereafter becoming a lineman and climbing telephone poles along the Niagara River and throughout Western NY. He eventually became the youngest manager with Bell in NY State, while pursuing his college degree in management. In 1978, he transferred to SW Bell in Texas and ultimately became responsible for all network repairs and service interruptions of entire regions of North Texas. He graduated from the State University of New York, Buffalo, after taking night classes after work, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. His career promotions took him and his family to several places, including Nacogdoches, Beaumont, and Dallas, TX. After 28 years with the phone company, he was able to retire early and moved to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia while continuing to periodically consult with other telecommunications companies. After a few years, he and his wife, Sue, located closer to their son Scott and grandchildren, where he remained until his death.
Bob was the son of Robert and Delores Gehrman of Buffalo, NY. His father was a machinist at Bell Aerospace and his mother was a schoolteacher at St. Christopher's, St. Gregory and St. Andrew's Catholic schools. Growing up with mechanical and technical skills, Bob was adept at fixing and building things. He built his first car at the age of 14 but was only able to drive it in the St. Christopher's church parking lot where his mother taught school. He was proud of the fact that he worked at the Sunoco gas station at the age of 14 pumping gasoline and cleaning windshields while learning about car mechanics. Bob was always instilling a hard-work ethic and can-do attitude in his boys, never afraid to take on a mechanical task like fixing a car, building an addition to the house, or contracting to build a pool. Bob loved to help friends with computer problems in his retirement, especially his friends in "Troon". He was especially proud of his landscaping skills with the goal of always having the greenest yard in the neighborhood. In characteristic Dad-joke style, Bob always enjoyed a Chevy Chase comedy with his family. He loved to go to the reservations desk and ask for a "table for 20…...just kidding" when he went to a restaurant. He loved his many trips to the casinos without ever hitting the big jackpot. The dry sense of humor reflected the tongue-in-cheek attitude that Bob brought to every situation, and he had a way of making people comfortable and at ease through humor.
Bob is survived by his wife of 53+ years, Sue; sons Bobby, Scott and Eric; their wives Beth, Kristan, and Amber; and 9 grandchildren Stefan, Leo, Kaitlyn, August, Will, Jake, Perla, Julian, and Luna; and his favorite pet Yellow Lab, Mollie Mae, as well as his sister, Jeanne Buczkowski, the McGuire family, and many cousins. He leaves behind his many phone company friends that he loved to reminisce with about the "good old days".
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 29th, 2021 at McEwen Funeral Service - Pineville Chapel in Charlotte, NC.
After four years of service in the US Navy and serving on the Polaris nuclear submarine USS Robert E. Lee, SSBN 601, Bob started a long career working for Bell Telephone. As a sonar technician assigned to the submarine service, he completed 4 years of 60-day underwater tours serving his country. With a work-hard attitude, he started with Bell as a NY Telephone Company coin collector collecting change from phone booths, soon thereafter becoming a lineman and climbing telephone poles along the Niagara River and throughout Western NY. He eventually became the youngest manager with Bell in NY State, while pursuing his college degree in management. In 1978, he transferred to SW Bell in Texas and ultimately became responsible for all network repairs and service interruptions of entire regions of North Texas. He graduated from the State University of New York, Buffalo, after taking night classes after work, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. His career promotions took him and his family to several places, including Nacogdoches, Beaumont, and Dallas, TX. After 28 years with the phone company, he was able to retire early and moved to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia while continuing to periodically consult with other telecommunications companies. After a few years, he and his wife, Sue, located closer to their son Scott and grandchildren, where he remained until his death.
Bob was the son of Robert and Delores Gehrman of Buffalo, NY. His father was a machinist at Bell Aerospace and his mother was a schoolteacher at St. Christopher's, St. Gregory and St. Andrew's Catholic schools. Growing up with mechanical and technical skills, Bob was adept at fixing and building things. He built his first car at the age of 14 but was only able to drive it in the St. Christopher's church parking lot where his mother taught school. He was proud of the fact that he worked at the Sunoco gas station at the age of 14 pumping gasoline and cleaning windshields while learning about car mechanics. Bob was always instilling a hard-work ethic and can-do attitude in his boys, never afraid to take on a mechanical task like fixing a car, building an addition to the house, or contracting to build a pool. Bob loved to help friends with computer problems in his retirement, especially his friends in "Troon". He was especially proud of his landscaping skills with the goal of always having the greenest yard in the neighborhood. In characteristic Dad-joke style, Bob always enjoyed a Chevy Chase comedy with his family. He loved to go to the reservations desk and ask for a "table for 20…...just kidding" when he went to a restaurant. He loved his many trips to the casinos without ever hitting the big jackpot. The dry sense of humor reflected the tongue-in-cheek attitude that Bob brought to every situation, and he had a way of making people comfortable and at ease through humor.
Bob is survived by his wife of 53+ years, Sue; sons Bobby, Scott and Eric; their wives Beth, Kristan, and Amber; and 9 grandchildren Stefan, Leo, Kaitlyn, August, Will, Jake, Perla, Julian, and Luna; and his favorite pet Yellow Lab, Mollie Mae, as well as his sister, Jeanne Buczkowski, the McGuire family, and many cousins. He leaves behind his many phone company friends that he loved to reminisce with about the "good old days".
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 29th, 2021 at McEwen Funeral Service - Pineville Chapel in Charlotte, NC.
Robert William Gehrman, Jr. passed away April 22 at the age of 73 after a brief illness. He was a proud husband, father, "Oompa" and former AT&T Bell Telephone executive. Most recently a resident of Charlotte, NC, Bob had lived around the country during his ascent through the various Baby Bell companies' installation and repair management divisions. He was born in Buffalo and grew up in Tonawanda, graduating from O'Hara High School in 1965. Bob met Suzanne (Sue) McGuire, of Kenmore, NY, and wed in 1967. They had three sons, Robert, Scott and Eric.
After four years of service in the US Navy and serving on the Polaris nuclear submarine USS Robert E. Lee, SSBN 601, Bob started a long career working for Bell Telephone. As a sonar technician assigned to the submarine service, he completed 4 years of 60-day underwater tours serving his country. With a work-hard attitude, he started with Bell as a NY Telephone Company coin collector collecting change from phone booths, soon thereafter becoming a lineman and climbing telephone poles along the Niagara River and throughout Western NY. He eventually became the youngest manager with Bell in NY State, while pursuing his college degree in management. In 1978, he transferred to SW Bell in Texas and ultimately became responsible for all network repairs and service interruptions of entire regions of North Texas. He graduated from the State University of New York, Buffalo, after taking night classes after work, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. His career promotions took him and his family to several places, including Nacogdoches, Beaumont, and Dallas, TX. After 28 years with the phone company, he was able to retire early and moved to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia while continuing to periodically consult with other telecommunications companies. After a few years, he and his wife, Sue, located closer to their son Scott and grandchildren, where he remained until his death.
Bob was the son of Robert and Delores Gehrman of Buffalo, NY. His father was a machinist at Bell Aerospace and his mother was a schoolteacher at St. Christopher's, St. Gregory and St. Andrew's Catholic schools. Growing up with mechanical and technical skills, Bob was adept at fixing and building things. He built his first car at the age of 14 but was only able to drive it in the St. Christopher's church parking lot where his mother taught school. He was proud of the fact that he worked at the Sunoco gas station at the age of 14 pumping gasoline and cleaning windshields while learning about car mechanics. Bob was always instilling a hard-work ethic and can-do attitude in his boys, never afraid to take on a mechanical task like fixing a car, building an addition to the house, or contracting to build a pool. Bob loved to help friends with computer problems in his retirement, especially his friends in "Troon". He was especially proud of his landscaping skills with the goal of always having the greenest yard in the neighborhood. In characteristic Dad-joke style, Bob always enjoyed a Chevy Chase comedy with his family. He loved to go to the reservations desk and ask for a "table for 20…...just kidding" when he went to a restaurant. He loved his many trips to the casinos without ever hitting the big jackpot. The dry sense of humor reflected the tongue-in-cheek attitude that Bob brought to every situation, and he had a way of making people comfortable and at ease through humor.
Bob is survived by his wife of 53+ years, Sue; sons Bobby, Scott and Eric; their wives Beth, Kristan, and Amber; and 9 grandchildren Stefan, Leo, Kaitlyn, August, Will, Jake, Perla, Julian, and Luna; and his favorite pet Yellow Lab, Mollie Mae, as well as his sister, Jeanne Buczkowski, the McGuire family, and many cousins. He leaves behind his many phone company friends that he loved to reminisce with about the "good old days".
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 29th, 2021 at McEwen Funeral Service - Pineville Chapel in Charlotte, NC.
After four years of service in the US Navy and serving on the Polaris nuclear submarine USS Robert E. Lee, SSBN 601, Bob started a long career working for Bell Telephone. As a sonar technician assigned to the submarine service, he completed 4 years of 60-day underwater tours serving his country. With a work-hard attitude, he started with Bell as a NY Telephone Company coin collector collecting change from phone booths, soon thereafter becoming a lineman and climbing telephone poles along the Niagara River and throughout Western NY. He eventually became the youngest manager with Bell in NY State, while pursuing his college degree in management. In 1978, he transferred to SW Bell in Texas and ultimately became responsible for all network repairs and service interruptions of entire regions of North Texas. He graduated from the State University of New York, Buffalo, after taking night classes after work, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. His career promotions took him and his family to several places, including Nacogdoches, Beaumont, and Dallas, TX. After 28 years with the phone company, he was able to retire early and moved to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia while continuing to periodically consult with other telecommunications companies. After a few years, he and his wife, Sue, located closer to their son Scott and grandchildren, where he remained until his death.
Bob was the son of Robert and Delores Gehrman of Buffalo, NY. His father was a machinist at Bell Aerospace and his mother was a schoolteacher at St. Christopher's, St. Gregory and St. Andrew's Catholic schools. Growing up with mechanical and technical skills, Bob was adept at fixing and building things. He built his first car at the age of 14 but was only able to drive it in the St. Christopher's church parking lot where his mother taught school. He was proud of the fact that he worked at the Sunoco gas station at the age of 14 pumping gasoline and cleaning windshields while learning about car mechanics. Bob was always instilling a hard-work ethic and can-do attitude in his boys, never afraid to take on a mechanical task like fixing a car, building an addition to the house, or contracting to build a pool. Bob loved to help friends with computer problems in his retirement, especially his friends in "Troon". He was especially proud of his landscaping skills with the goal of always having the greenest yard in the neighborhood. In characteristic Dad-joke style, Bob always enjoyed a Chevy Chase comedy with his family. He loved to go to the reservations desk and ask for a "table for 20…...just kidding" when he went to a restaurant. He loved his many trips to the casinos without ever hitting the big jackpot. The dry sense of humor reflected the tongue-in-cheek attitude that Bob brought to every situation, and he had a way of making people comfortable and at ease through humor.
Bob is survived by his wife of 53+ years, Sue; sons Bobby, Scott and Eric; their wives Beth, Kristan, and Amber; and 9 grandchildren Stefan, Leo, Kaitlyn, August, Will, Jake, Perla, Julian, and Luna; and his favorite pet Yellow Lab, Mollie Mae, as well as his sister, Jeanne Buczkowski, the McGuire family, and many cousins. He leaves behind his many phone company friends that he loved to reminisce with about the "good old days".
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 29th, 2021 at McEwen Funeral Service - Pineville Chapel in Charlotte, NC.
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