Robert "Bob" Thomas Werner, 79, passed away after a battle with undiagnosed Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Born in 1944 to Henry Ehrhart and Lillian Elizabeth Werner in Cincinnati, Ohio, he spent most of his young life with his sisters and lifelong friends in the Westwood neighborhood. He fondly recalled bike rides, family pets, and stories of life with his sisters; Nancy (Werner Solerno), Beth (Hulbert), and Carol (Schmidt). On these streets he developed his passion for classic cars, especially Ford Mustangs, which he would eventually share with his children and grandchildren. He graduated from Western Hills High School in 1962. His years there were spent as an active member of Demolay, becoming a Master Counselor, and eventually serving as a mentor to many of the young men behind him.  He would go on to be involved in charity work as a 32nd-degree Scottish Rite Mason until moving to Central Florida in 1989.

After high school graduation, he attended the University of Cincinnati to study accounting. While there he was an active member in the ROTC and a member of their storied Pershing Rifles.  Bob returned to the workforce before graduation and was quickly drafted by the US Army. After completing basic training at Fort Knox, he was selected for further technical schooling. He served during the Vietnam Era in Korea's Demilitarized Zone as a Survey Computer and Survey Section Chief of Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 81st Artillery.

Bob met Jacqueline (Jackie) Taylor, his wife of 54 years while working in the accounting department of Diamond International. She had a habit of locking up her manual calculator and Bob was an expert at fixing it for her. They married in November 1969. As only those who live in Cincinnati will understand, he was a west sider who married a girl from the east side of town. That may be why they chose to settle in Glen Este when it came time to buy a place of their own. They shared many wonderful memories of the early days spent sharing life with friends and creating a future together. They would go on to embrace their role in the lives of their nephews Mike, David, and Ken, and become Godparents to nephew Jerry Jr. before having children of their own. Their daughter Christine would arrive during a snowstorm in 1973, and son, Nicholas, a few days before Bob's birthday in 1979. One last nephew, Rob, would join the family many years later.

Bob returned to the University of Cincinnati to pursue a career in Electrical Engineering. He would spend over 35 years working for Westinghouse and its subsequent corporate mergers. He began working as a field engineer in the 1970s, before overseeing power plant refurbishments, and eventually recruiting new engineers. Bob's early sacrifices working in the field, and the extensive travel it entailed, provided a full life for his family.

Robert was extremely proud and devoted to his children. During their growing up years, Bob would go to extremes to be home from business travel to make every performance, game, and holiday event and to make the best Halloween costumes. He taught Christine to use a hammer and patch drywall, helped her sell Girl Scout Cookies and sketch images for school projects, and walked her through engineering concepts while building a basic transistor radio. By middle school, he would spend hours on long-distance calls helping her understand her Algebra homework. Bob put a screwdriver and circuit board in Nick's hands before he was in elementary school. He would become a Little League coach and Boy Scout Leader. He taught Nick to work on cars and use every tool in the garage; no project was too big to tackle. During Nick's years at Lake Mary High School, Bob was a valued member of the band booster board, where he drove the supply truck, cooked for the concession stand, went to every game and fundraiser, and even helped paint the stadium stairs. During Nick's college years, he would help him to rebuild the engine of a '68 Ford Mustang. Christine would go on to marry Bryan Laird, and Nick would marry Cecelia DeLoach, providing Dad two more "children" to brag about. To him, Bryan and Celia were never in-laws but his kids. Dad always made certain that his children could pursue their dreams.

After the children were grown Bob spent time with Jackie, dined with valued friends, visited with family, and explored his own projects. His greatest pastime was sharing in the adventures of his granddaughters, Julianne and Katrina. They were a source of joy and pride to him. "Papaw" would attend their every performance, and Tae Kwon Do promotion; greeting them with his infectious smile and genuine praise. He found happiness in creating memories with them. He helped them with woodworking and crafting projects, listened to their stories, and joined in their victories. He welcomed Julianne's husband Jonathan into our family in 2022.

Bob was a man with a very big heart who loved greatly and treated everyone with care. He learned how to harvest a rice paddy around a crashed motorpool vehicle so no one would do without. He drove 700 miles with a generator to stay with his daughter-in-law when a storm hit and Nick was out of town. He traveled all night with his nephew to spend the next day buying a classic car. He spoke to all, gave freely, loved fully, and left a legacy of family, friendship, and devotion.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to HART Animal Rescue at RescueaHart.org and Save the Animals Foundation at STAF.org.