Robert Eugene Curtis

July 27, 1930 - August 29, 2020

ROBERT EUGENE CURTIS CHESTER, SC: Much beloved Robert Eugene Curtis, (“Bob”), 90, passed away Saturday, August 29th, 2020, at White Oak Manor in Lancaster, SC. Amid the COVID 19 pandemic, family and friends expressed their love for Bob through phone calls, cards and window visits. An in-person and live streamed memorial service will be held on September 26th, 2020 at 3 PM at the Chester ARP Church, 109 Wylie Street, Chester, SC. Born July 27th, 1930 in Gary, Indiana, Bob was the son of the late Ruby Virginia Baker Curtis and Gustaf Joseph Curtis (Kertesz). He also received the love and parental guidance of cherished step-father John Rudolph Curtis (Kertesz). He graduated from Chesterton High School and immediately entered the Navy in 1948, where he served his country during the Korean War on the USS Leyte. After the Navy, he completed a degree in business administration at Valparaiso University, IN. During a college fraternity prank, he met future wife Joan Ostedt, who he said “swept him off his feet.” Bob and Joan married in 1955 in Valparaiso, IN, parented three children, and lived in Beaver Falls and Aliquippa, PA; Alton and Palatine, IL; Sarasota and Jacksonville, FL; and Westminster and Chester, SC, the latter since 2010. Bob specialized in computer programming and management, and worked at US Steel, Olin Mathieson and Borg Warner. While growing up in Gary, IN around the Great Depression, Bob’s childhood included “working on the ice truck,” with his beloved Hungarian uncles, earning a couple of quarters and a bottled “pop.” He loved family, church, and his car keys. Fueled by his Gypsy blood, Bob was an avid driver and loved the open road, ensuring family vacations each year, taking grandchildren to visit colleges, doing airport runs to pick up family from El Salvador, and just going out for a Sunday drive or to enjoy a special restaurant. Bob readily became teary-eyed at his birthday parties, while watching the movie Forrest Gump, or listening to the song, “Waltzing Matilda.” Some of his favorite moments included watching cardinals in his backyard, playing golf in Great Falls & Jacksonville, reading history and war stories, and popcorn. He got special joy from participating in the 2016 SC Honor Flight to Washington DC with WW2 and Korean War veterans. Bob is survived by his two daughters Cynthia Curtis (at Lancaster, SC) and Susan Curtis (at Fort Lawn, SC); son John Curtis and wife Mary Ann, (at Melbourne, FL); grandchildren Danielle Curtis (at Colorado Springs, CO); Sabrina Williams, husband Clark and great-grandson Jace (at Savannah, GA); Elizabeth Anderson, fiancé Marley Anthony Gregory, (at Orlando, FL); Jacinto Pena Curtis and Jose Amel Pena Curtis (at Lancaster; SC); and Heather Eddy, husband Rob, and great-grandsons Robby and Titus (at Oil City, PA); “Patriarchs” Bert Lawson (at Conroe, TX) and “Panda Ed” Johnson (at Crete, IL) cousin Marie Lovell (at Portage, IN); nephews Kevin Lawson, wife Berta (at Conroe, TX) and Donald Lawson (at Conroe, TX), and an extended circle of family and friends. He was preceded in death by sister Virginia Ruby Lawson (at Conroe, TX), and in 2019 by his wife and soulmate of 64 years, Joan Gail Ostedt Curtis (at Chester, SC). Special thanks and appreciation to the committed and compassionate healthcare teams at MUSC Lancaster, White Oak Manor- Lancaster and Providence Care Hospice. Bob’s family recognizes the risks taken to attend him and other patients who were affected by COVID 19. In Bob’s honor, we ask that people “mask, social distance and hand wash” to protect our healthcare workers and each other. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Providence Care Hospice, 500 Lakeshore Parkway, Rock Hill, SC 29730 or White Oak Manor-Lancaster, 253 Craig Manor Road, Lancaster, SC 29720. Barron Funeral Home in Chester is serving the Curtis family. Online condolences may be made at www.barronfuneralhome.com