The Class of ’80 lost a true icon this week (May 28th 2023). If you knew Rob – you likely had an opinion about him. He was an unabashed rebel, and was known to ruffle some feathers. Personally – I loved the guy. We became better friends after HS than during (as has been the case with many of you). He was super helpful to me when my SIL passed away in unfortunate circumstances, and we shared the same off-color sense of humor. My wife would sometimes hear me laughing my ass off on the phone and ask me “who on earth are you talking to??”

He is pictured here with his lovely wife Brandi – a true testament to the saying “opposites attract”.  She was sweet and soft-spoken, but as rough around the edges as Rob was, I always saw him treat her with love and kindness. I choose to believe that when their boat went down, he spent his final moments fighting for her.

In the few weeks before he died, Rob would send me audio files of him playing the blues. He wanted me to upload them here – which I had every intention of getting to – but to my great sadness, I procrastinated just a bit too long. I present them to you now.  If I understand correctly, I believe it’s all him. Vocals, guitar, drums. He was very proud of it – and if you give them a listen, I think you’ll agree – they are pretty good. 🙂

I hate to lose any of us – but this one hit pretty hard – partly because Rob was such a colorful figure in Class of ’80 lore, but also because of the tragic nature of his passing. Rob, his beloved Brandi, Brandi’s sister and her husband (along with the boat guide) all perished that day. A true tragedy in every sense of the word.

You will be missed Rob and Brandi, as I’m sure your in-laws will leave a hole in the lives of those they leave behind as well.