Robert Summers

Robert Summers was a talented singer and good at working with his hands, but it was his strong work ethic that truly defined who Robert Summers was. He was a man of honor who struggled with health challenges for a number of years which greatly changed his life from day to day. Robert was blessed with the births of his children, his legacy later growing to include grandchildren and great grandchildren.

During the 1930s, our nation was held firmly in the grip of the Great Depression for the entire decade leaving Americans to find joy in the simple things in life. People enjoyed playing board games like Monopoly, reading the works of authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, or listening to Big Band music that saturated the airwaves. In fact, the radio was a lifeline for people during this time as it offered not only music and the news of the day, but also the antics of comedians like Jack Benny and George Burns and soap operas, which dominated the daytime airwaves. It was also during this time that James and Della (Beers) Summers, of Three Rivers, Michigan, were eager to greet their second child who was due at any time. They were indeed blessed with a son, Robert Earl, born on April 6, 1937, who joined his two-year-old sister Bev in the Summers family. Robert’s younger sister Linda was born two years later and with her birth, the family was complete.

On December 7, 1941, our nation was viciously attacked on our homeland leaving us no choice but to declare war the following day. With WWII playing out across the ocean, much of our country’s way of life was deeply involved in the war effort leaving women to work the jobs their servicemen left behind and rationing was implemented on numerous goods that were needed to support the war effort. Like so many other young people during this generation, Bob, as he was often called, found ways to occupy his time with the very few resources that were available to him. Bob was good with his hands from an early age and he was especially talented at working with wood, creating many things during his formative years.

For his education, Bob attended local schools but before he finished high school, Bob pursued that which he felt was of greater significance. He joined the United States Navy in 1954, and served his country for the next eight years before being discharged in 1962. With his return to civilian life, Bob was free to finally begin building a life for himself outside of the military.

Life soon turned a different corner during the early sixties for Bob when he met a young gal named Esther Kuykendall with whom he began a long distance relationship. After dating for a time, they were united in marriage and settled in Allegan, Michigan. The couple welcomed four children into their hearts and home: Kay, Charlie, Joyce, and Robby. Amidst raising their children, Bob and Esther moved their family from Michigan to Oklahoma and finally to Hollywood, Florida, in order to be closer to his parents. Bob supported his family through his work at Bendix Avionics in Florida building circuit boards for aircraft and CAD drawings after achieving his GED in the late 70’s. After he retired from Bendix, he moved the family to Central Florida and went back to his first love of long-haul trucking to support his family.

There were a variety of interests that Bob enjoyed when he had leisure time. He liked both Christian and country western music, and was also blessed with a great singing voice of his own. Bob and his sisters liked to harmonize together and often sang in local churches. He also liked to watch Westerns on television, especially when he wanted to relax.

In the early 1990s, Bob began suffering from debilitating headaches that interfered with his life in every way. He could no longer work and subsequently lost his job. Soon, Bob and Esther moved to South Carolina to live with their daughter Kay. These were trying times for everyone involved and additionally, Bob’s health only continued to deteriorate. Eventually, their marriage ended in divorce and his sister Linda took him in. With the medical attention he received through the VA, it was discovered that Bob had a large tumor in his brain. The tumor was removed, making life much more pleasant for Bob and his personality easier to cope with as well. Bob moved into the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans in the mid-nineties where he received excellent care and spent the remainder of his days.

Bob Summers was a man of great strength who persevered through the difficult times in his life. He honorably served his country for eight years and worked hard as a trucker. Bob enjoyed a variety of activities that created a lifetime of colorful memories. Bob will be dearly missed by those he leaves behind.

Robert Earl Summers of Grand Rapids died on July 6, 2009, at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. Surviving are his children; Kay (Bob) Neff of Elkridge,MD, Charlie Ahsley of Cullman, AL Joyce (Doug) Wilson of Poteau, OK, Robby Summers of Poteau, OK; several grandchildren and great-grand children; two sisters; Bev (Ralph) VanNiman of Mattawan, MI, Linda (AJ) Mullen of Greenville, MI, his mother Della Summers of Grand Rapids, MI. He was preceded in death by his father, James. Visitation will take place on Wednesday, July 29th from 2-4 p.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, Van Strien-Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield Ave. NE (616) 361-2613. A service to honor his life will be held Friday 1 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans with visitation 1 hour prior. Private interment will take place at the Veterans Cemetery. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com, where you can sign his guest book, share a memory, or make a memorial contribution to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.