Robert Leigh

Obituary of Robert Leigh Robert (Bob) Edmund Leigh of the Villages passed away at his home on Monday, April 11, 2011 following a brief bout with cancer. He was born March 12, 1934 in Centerville, Iowa, the third son to Frances and Fred Leigh. Bob served in the Army during the Korean War from 1955 to 1957. Upon his honorable discharge, he graduated from the University of Iowa in June of 1958. Bob married Barbara Wales of Centerville, Iowa in 1959 where they had three children: Mark Robert (died at birth in May 1960), Bradley Scott and Susan Melissa. With the insurance company Bob worked for, they relocated several times to Oshkosh, WI, Ankeney, Iowa and finally settled in Battle Creek, MI in 1970. In 1971, Bob and Barbara divorced and Bob started his long career with the Federal Center in the Department of Defense as a Budget Analyst. In 1982, Bob met a fellow Federal Center colleague, Merna Joy Harrell, whom he married in a small ceremony on June 16, 1984. Upon Bob's retirement from the government in May 1997, he and Merna headed south to The Villages. Bob and Merna are members of the Village View Community Church and the Pontoon Yacht Club where they spent countless hours tooling around the lakes enjoying their surroundings and the company of their fellow Pontooners. Bob is preceeded in death by his parents, two brothers: Billy and Jackie and his son Mark. Bob is survived by his wife Merna, his brothers Jim (Donna), Tom, Ted (Lorna), his sister-in-law Evelyn, his son Bradley and his daughter Susan (Robert), four grandchildren and three great grandchildren, his step-sons Rick (Sue), Scott (Terri) and Mike (Kathy), fourteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A Memorial Service to honor Bob's life will be held at the Village View Community Church on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 10:00a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Village View Community Church, 8585 Southeast 147th Place, Summerfield, FL 34491 or Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd., Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256. Services A Memorial Service to honor Bob's life will be held at the Village View Community Church on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 10:00a.m. Memorial Donations In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Village View Community Church, 8585 Southeast 147th Place, Summerfield, FL 34491 or Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd., Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.

Robert Leigh

March 12, 1934 - April 11, 2011