Robert Thomas Renard, greatest storyteller ever
Robert “Bob” Thomas Renard, 72, of Millsboro, originally of Grantham, Pa., passed away Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Doris Renard. He is survived by his daughters, Bobbie Hill and Bonnie Renard (son in-law Marty Henderson), Angela Smith (his daughter by choice, as he said), his son Timothy Renard (daughter-in-law Amber Renard); his grandsons Bryan, Terry, Gavin and Kamron; his granddaughters Elise, Becky, Kirlyn, Abby and Jocelyn; and his great-grandchildren, Levi, Travis, Bailee, Brycen and Draya.
He graduated from Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa., where he wrestled and played football, and he must have been pretty good as shown by the boxes of newspaper clippings his mother kept all these years.
Bob was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and fondly told his grandchildren the story of when he was accused of breaking a window stateside while being at war. So forevermore they will use the excuse, “I wasn’t even in the country at the time.”
After his honorable discharge from the Army, he worked at and later retired from the Naval Support Activity in Mechanicsburg, as a supervisor and with about 2,000 ink pens and numerous razor knives. (Not sure those were supposed to be parting gifts.)
He enjoyed many, many things. Among those things were hunting, fishing, golfing, Hershey candy bars, Marlboro red cigarettes, the Steelers, Pepsi, NCIS the TV show, fast food, and most of all, his family. He was affectionately known by a lot of family as “The Candy-man.” Oh, let’s be honest, if there was any kid around, Bob was handing out candy, ice cream, and any other sweet he could get his hands on.
He was the greatest storyteller ever, from old war stories to sharing memories, to bragging on his grandchildren and all the fishing skills he taught them. His dementia made it so those stories will never be forgotten by those he told them to 100 times, but no one would have it any other way.
A Military Honor Service and interment will take place at 2 p.m., Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, at Delaware Veterans Cemetery, Millsboro.
Send electronic condolences via watsonfh.com.
