Robert
Frank O'NealRobert Frank O’Neal died
peacefully at home in Sierra Vista, Ariz., at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday,
Feb. 23, 2008. He was 91 years old and a 41-year resident of Cochise
County.
Robert was born on July 9, 1916, in Akron, Ohio, to Fred and Gladys Hurd
O’Neal. He graduated from North High School in 1934, afterward attending
both Akron University and Kent State University in Ohio and then St.
Lawrence University in New York, where he majored in sociology.
On Dec. 4, 1943, Robert married Dorothy King Decker in St. Louis, Mo. He
served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he trained troops at
Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Ark.
Robert was employed as chief engineer for Pesco Products Corp. in
Cleveland, Ohio, until 1960. He then worked for the Department of the
Army in Columbus, Ohio, and Battle Creek, Mich. He moved to Bisbee,
Ariz., in 1967, where he acted as a procurement and contracting officer
for the Strategic Communication Command at Fort Huachuca. Robert retired
as the Fort Huachuca small business advisor in 1981.
Robert will forever be remembered as a devoted and loving husband,
father and grandfather.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorothy; daughter, Aileen Plumb
of Fountain Hills, Ariz.; grandsons, Kevin O’Neal Plumb of Phoenix,
Ariz., and Matthew Decker Plumb of Fountain Hills, Ariz.;
great-granddaughter, Isabela Katherine Plumb of Fountain Hills, Ariz.;
brother, James O’Neal of Ohio; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the
family has requested that memorial contributions be made to Hospice Casa
de la Paz, 300 El Camino Real, Sierra Vista AZ 85635. Special thanks is
given for the wonderful support and compassionate care that Robert
received during his final days from Hospice Casa de la Paz, the nurses
at Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, and grandson Matthew Plumb.