Obituary of Robert W. Moffitt

Robert W. Moffitt, beloved husband of the late Janet (nee Anderson), loving father of Jane (Jeremy) Benjamin, Jon (Trisha) Moffitt, and Jennifer (Kevin) Koken. He was a devoted grandfather to Taylor, Katherine and Megan Benjamin, and Justin, Gretchen and Brendan Koken. Dear brother of Richard (Judy) Moffitt and was the son of the late Wallace and Bertha (nee Smith) Moffitt. Bob, as his friends called him, was born in Rock Island, Illinois and graduated from Rock Island High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts at Augustana College, where he met his future wife, Janet. Bob had many passions throughout his life. One of these passions, the Indianapolis 500, just occurred and he was able to watch the race one last time. The “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was likely Bob’s singular favorite thing. His first Indy 500 was in 1947; a race won by Mauri Rose, who was a 3-time winner. The day of the race was a cherished tradition shared with his father, brother, and then his children and grandchildren. Another passion that he had was his patriotism. Bob was in the Army & Army Reserve from 1954 –1962, serving at Ft. Leonard Wood MO. He completed the Basic Army Administration Training Course and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He always had a special place in his heart for those who served. He understood that many young men and women pay the ultimate sacrifice to keep America free and safe. The idea that the Indy 500 fell on Memorial Day weekend each year was special for him. Sports, in particular tennis, was a favorite of Bob’s. He played as a young man and had fond memories of his teammates. He continued to play with friends over the years and somehow managed to play successfully with the Wilson T-2000, which seemingly had a racquet head the size of an orange. He found great pride in teaching his children the sport and hardly missed a match they played. Bob enjoyed vacationing in a number of different places. He took his young family to Fair Hills Resort in Minnesota. It was a scenic and serene place with a lake, pool, tennis courts, shuffleboard, golf course and family entertainment. Bob loved history and enjoyed traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia, site of one of the most famous battles in American history. He was overjoyed to bring his children and grandchildren together for family vacations in Kiawah Island. He especially enjoyed trips to Alaska and Europe but perhaps his most memorable was his love of amusement parks. While living in Detroit, there was an annual trip to Cedar Point. Plus, living in Cincinnati gave Bob and Janet the convenience of frequenting Kings Island on summer nights to enjoy riding The Beast and a slice of LaRosa’s pizza. Bob worked for IBM and absolutely loved the company. He really enjoyed the teamwork that he established with his colleagues. The common mission they worked on daily helped to create many friendships beyond work. He won many awards and was grateful that his time at IBM led to living in many fantastic places – Rock Island, IL; Pontiac, MI; Rochester, NY; and Cincinnati, OH. Bob was convinced that working for “Big Blue” helped him realize the American Dream to raise a family, live in a wonderful house and pursue his other passions. Consistent with his love of the Indy 500, Bob loved cars… or should we say, he loved Ford! His father sold Ford cars when Bob was a child, and he was hooked. He won several awards at car shows with his immaculate 1941 Ford 2-door coupe. Bob went on to own many Ford automobiles with his “T-Top” Mustang being one of his favorites. For Bob, it always had to be a Ford. He accumulated an impressive collection of Ford signs and memorabilia. He also collected other antiques which he displayed in his dream house that he built with Janet. They spent many weekends at antique malls searching for their next treasure. Bob’s biggest passion was Janet! They were married in 1961 and shared a terrific life together for 59 years raising their three children. They will be joined together again in their final resting place of Laurel Memorial Gardens. A small private ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 8th at 10:30am. Interment will follow at Laurel Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, you are encouraged to donate to one of the following organizations: Wounded Warrior Project. You can give online at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate Augustana College. You can give online or make a check (made out to Augustana College) to Augustana College Advancement, 639 38th St., Rock Island, Ill., 61201. You can also call 309-794-7545 to make a gift by phone. Hospice of Cincinnati. Giving options are listed at https://hospiceofcincinnati.org/donate/ or by mail, Hospice of Cincinnati, PO Box 633597, Cincinnati, OH (45263-3597).