My brother Bob suffered from prostate cancer for more than 15 years. He spent much of that time managing with radiation, oral medications, and a variety of infusions. Over time, these treatments caused and compounded other critical health issues. A year ago, the cancer metastasized to his stomach, and he chose not to do chemo which was offered as the treatment therapy. He had no insurance, was single, and had no children. However, he was a substitute teacher for over 20 years where he poured his time, talents, and wisdom into the students he served.

Prior to that, Bob was a Program Coordinator for the CloseUp Foundation on Capitol Hill for more than ten years. In that role, he led guided tours of Capitol Hill for visiting high school students. He was a delegate for the Democratic Convention in 1979, during Jimmy Carter's bid. Some people may remember his encouraging spirit as a counselor with the Mary Washington campus' Upward Bound program and as the study hall monitor at James Monroe High School. He was also a member of the Lion's Club and The Shades of Soul, which later became Harambee 360, as well as a long-time referee for Fredericksburg Parks & Recreation.

Bob was a 1972 graduate of James Monroe High School and graduated in 1982 from Mary Washington College with a degree in Political Science. For many years, he was a member of Abundant Life Victorious Church (Fredericksburg Branch) and over the last five or six years, took a keen interest in studying Judaism. He loved to read, write poetry and songs, sing, and spend time with our family, especially his beloved great nephews. One of the things that brought him a lot of enjoyment as his condition progressed and he became homebound was connecting and keeping in touch with many, many friends on social media. We are a very small family and are definitely in need of some support in preparing his homegoing. We truly appreciate anything that you may be able to share as we try to honor him one final time.