Obituary of Robert P. Tait

Robert P. Tait on April 16, 2023, passed away at the age of 95. Bob joins his wife of 69 years Willa Gayle Tait who passed away in 2019. A lifelong resident of Cincinnati and a graduate of the University of Cincinnati Bob was devoted to his family and proud of his community. He resided in Mariemont for 60 years before moving to a senior living facility. Bob was the son of a Scottish immigrant father and a first-generation German mother. Money was always in short supply, so he worked after school as a butcher at Albers Grocery Store. After graduating from Withrow High School in 1945 he went to work for the C. Schmidt Co. as a draftsman. After marrying his one and only love in 1950 he worked to support his young family by day and attended the University of Cincinnati at night. Course by course, he chipped away at a bachelor’s degree and graduated in1968 at the age of 40. He was also a self-taught photographer developing his photos in his basement darkroom. Bob retired from the C. Schmidt Co. after a 44-year career that encompassed drafting, designing and engineering commercial refrigeration units. Throughout his retirement years Bob continued designing and engineering solutions to problems for family and friends in what his family lovingly referred to as “Bob’s Basement.” He was an avid reader who particularly enjoyed history and murder mysteries and he read one to two books a week until the end of his life. He was a lifelong fan of the Cincinnati Reds and later the Cincinnati Bengals. Bob leaves behind his daughter Leslie (Douglas) Doster and son Phillip (Cynthia) Tait, grandchildren Phillip (Carolyn) Pennington, Curtis (Kara) Greenwood, Paige (Jesse) Doster-Grimes, Gregory (Stephanie) Tait and Allison Tait, and great grandchildren Alexis Pennington, Gabriel Greenwood, Samuel Greenwood and Arturo Tait. He will be deeply missed by his family.