Robert Rock
1949-2021
Bob Rock, kayaker, cyclist, gardener, fisherman, chef, coffee
snob, tall tale teller, and problem solver extraordinaire died on
Friday, October 22nd, 2021, in his beloved second home, Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island, Canada. Bob, the youngest of four siblings, was
born in 1949 to parents Agnes and John Rock in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. He was so cute as a baby that the local church enlisted
him to play baby Jesus in the Christmas pageant that year. Bob grew up
in Levitttown, Pennsylvania, where his love of the magazine
«Boy’s Life» inspired him to raid his
father’s garage and his mother’s kitchen cupboard
to blow up homemade volcanos, build go-carts without brakes, and
electrify earthworms for fishing. These early experiences led to a
lifelong love of dangerous implements, such as blowtorches, chainsaws,
and razor-sharp chef’s knives. In high school, Bob furthered
his education volunteering with the Levittown Rescue Squad, where he
learned, not only emergency medical skills, but also how to hotwire
vehicles and soup up his mom’s Rambler. Bob was also an
athlete. As a teenager and lifeguard at the Jersey Shore, he lived on
chocolate milkshakes, hamburgers, and fries. In later life, Bob
completed numerous triathlons and knew where to find the best ice
cream in any town all over the state of Pennsylvania. One of his high
school teachers taught Bob the «formula» behind Ian
Flemings’ James Bond novels, turning him into an analytical,
avid, and lifelong reader. He was especially drawn to tales of outdoor
adventure and survival. Bob’s real-life adventures included
hiking the Grand Canyon, kayaking the Lehigh, Nescopeck, Salmon, and
Colorado Rivers, fishing off the Outer Banks, and in later years,
exploring every last nook and cranny of PEI’s coastline,
where he delighted in harvesting and eating fresh oysters right off
the bottom of shallow rivers and estuaries.
As a young
man, Bob married his first love and high school sweetheart, Ruth. He
then enlisted in the US Army and served as a medical corpsman in
Vietnam. Two years later, Bob was honourably discharged and never
mentioned the multiple medals he earned for bravery in action,
referring to his time in the military as an extended camping trip
where the hikes were too long and the backpacks too heavy. Returning
stateside, Bob enrolled in Pennsylvania’s inaugural
physician’s assistant program offered by Harvard, Tufts, and
Northeastern Universities. Upon graduation he worked in family
practice for many years before joining the «dark side» as a
health care consultant.
Bob apprenticed to several chefs
in the Philadelphia area, and he honed his cooking skills right along
with knives big enough to be sabers. He invented a winter holiday and
hosted an annual Viking Dinner for his family, featuring a
mouth-watering menu of prime rib, pan roasted salmon, twice baked
potatoes, and his mom’s famous apple salad. When he moved to
PEI, Bob made it a point to learn how to cook, clean, and plate a
platter of lobsters that would rival the presentation in restaurants.
He was an accomplished cook and heartily endorsed Julia
Child’s insistence on lashings of butter and cream with just
a pinch of kosher salt.
Bob was an enthusiastic kayaker,
and some of his happiest moments were spent in his 17 ft, Current
Designs Solstice, sea kayak. When Anne Marie first met him, he stored
his fleet of eight kayaks and an Olympic size canoe in a small barn.
Bob was a longstanding member of the Lehigh Valley Kayak and Canoe
Club and eventually served as the club’s president. As a
whitewater kayaker, he specialized in seal entries and
«boofing» off rocks, and he delighted in describing
whitewater rivers as nothing more than «water and rocks, rocks
and water.» When Anne Marie wandered into the pool classes for
flat water kayaking, Bob was her instructor, and the rest as they say,
«was history.» Over the years, Anne Marie and Bob enjoyed
numerous outings with the club, and kayaked all over Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland with Jerry, Linda, Sharon, Bill, Jane,
Dan, Paula, Sheldon, Dave, Caroline, Bob B., Greg, Mary, Priscilla,
Joanna, Pat, and so many others, making such glowing memories. Anne
Marie and Bob married on May 5th, 2015, [5/5/15] a date selected by
Bob so he would never forget their anniversary, also providing him
with endless material for bad jokes about Cinco de Mayo. Early in
their marriage Bob and Anne Marie moved camper, cars, and cats (Skipp
and Cattu) to Pittsburgh and settled about three miles from where Bob
was born. As he explained to anyone who would listen, Bob eventually
ended up in Prince Edward Island because «his wife kidnapped
him.»
Bob was the proud father of James (Danette) who
inherited his love of cooking and Jessie (Rob) who inherited his love
of animals and the even prouder grandfather of Colter, who inherited
his blue eyes, mischievous twinkle, and his delicious jug ears. Bob is
pre-deceased by beloved sister Marilou and survived by brothers and
best friends Pat (Ginny) and Tom (Eileen). In all the years that he
lived in Pennsylvania, Bob never missed the annual Rock Reunion hosted
by Tom and Eileen during the third week of August in Todd, PA. He
delighted in the roaring campfires, ginormous breakfasts, and glorious
tube floats down the Juniata River, not to mention conversations long
into the night and the chance to catch up with extended family,
including nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, cousins and
second cousins, (too numerous to name for fear of missing someone),
and as his mother would say «all those redheads from
Allentown.»
In the final months, the expert nursing
staff at PEI Home Care checked in on Bob on a weekly and then daily
basis, monitoring his needs, exclaiming over countless photos of his
new grandson, and trying to disentangle the truth from all the
whoppers he told them with such a straight face. Thanks to all the
nurses who made sure that help was on the other side of a phone call,
even after hours, even on weekends, even on Thanksgiving, and special
thanks to Tracy and Sue, who provided constant support to Anne Marie.
The capable and compassionate nurses and staff of the Prince Edward
Island Integrated Palliative Care Center ensured the comfort and
dignity of Bob’s final days and wrapped Anne Marie in warm
hugs and creature comforts. Special thanks to Blanche Ward, who
provided Anne Marie with support and a listening ear over the course
of long (and speedy!) walks. Immense appreciation to all the
Palliative Care physicians, and especially to Dr. Mireille LeCours.
Bob had a deep respect for her medical expertise and got such a kick
out of her funny, direct, and kind bedside manner. If you are so
inclined, donations may be made to the PEI Home Care Program or to the
Palliative Care Program.
If instead you’d like to
do something in Bob’s memory, invent an excuse to gather
friends and family around the table, cook with butter and heavy cream,
get outside, get to know a river, go camping, «use the
gear», scatter some seeds in a garden, be kind to the critters,
be the reason someone bursts out in a belly laugh, call your siblings,
and keep in touch with your friends, no matter how far-flung.
To understand a little of how much Anne Marie will miss him,
listen to:
You Decorate My Life, Kenny Rogers
It’s in His Kiss (the Shoop Shoop Song), Cher
Forever and for Always, Shania Twain
Neil
Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife, Natalie
McMaster
To share Bob’s musical loves, listen
to:
Basically anything by Bruce Springsteen, but especially
Born in the USA, Glory Days, and Dancing in the Dark
The
entire catalogue of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but especially their cover
of All My Life’s a Circle
Care Bear, Richard
Wood
Someone Like You, Adele
The East Coast
Music Hour, CBC, Bill Roach
The Irish and Celtic Music
Podcast, Patreon, Marc Gunn
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19492021
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Robert Rock 19492021..
Décès pour la Ville: Charlottetown, Province: I-P-E