Robert Gardner Pitts
April 24, 1941 – April 25, 2025
On April 25, 2025, Robert Pitts went to be with his Lord after a years-long struggle with vascular dementia. Robert is survived by his wife, Beverly; son, Andrew (Nohemi); grandkids, Sebastian and Karina; daughter, Tracy; sister, Susan Crocker; niece, Keely Small (Mary Bradley), and many other relatives and friends.
Bob was a loving husband and father, so humorous (a real character), supportive, generous, and kind. He will be greatly missed. Bob and his sister Sue grew up with their parents, Robert and Helen, in their home on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan. His lifelong love of travel and the outdoors began there. He always looked for ways to pass on his love for his treasured life experiences to others, so teaching was a natural career choice for him. After graduating from St. Joseph High School in 1959, he obtained a teaching certificate from Western Michigan University. While at WMU, he met Bev at a Halloween party in 1963. The mesmerizing beauty of her witch costume, complete with warty green nose, caused him to instantly fall under her spell. They married in the summer of 1965 and moved to Saginaw, where Bob then began his 36-year teaching career (33 years of those devoted to Okemos High School), focusing primarily on American History and Social Studies.
Bob enjoyed many camping trips with family and friends in his favorite Michigan spots, as well as in Montana, Wyoming, and Canada, and he also visited Europe. He traveled many times to Washington, D.C. with Okemos High School’s annual spring Close-Up program, where he guided students, and helped increase their knowledge and awareness of current events, and America’s political system. All of these experiences influenced his teaching of history, and later, his research into his personal ancestry. In warmer weather, he faithfully tended to the grounds outside his home in East Lansing, enjoying gardening, mowing, car washing, and much grilling out on the backyard patio. Bob pursued many creative projects, producing several drawings, paintings, and hilarious cartoons. He also loved music and played piano. He was very athletic, and liked to hike, swim, bike, cross-country ski, and play volleyball, softball, basketball, and golf. His Christian faith guided his personal interactions and behavior; the comfort, counsel, and meaning he gained and applied to his life from his church and Bible study group could be seen and felt by everyone.
The family wholeheartedly thanks the staff both at Brookdale Memory Care in Haslett, as well as Hospice of Lansing, for their friendship, work, and assistance during Bob’s final years. In lieu of flowers, please feel free, if you are so inclined, to make a donation to Hospice of Lansing, and / or a dementia support or research organization of your choice.
Our thanks to Autumn Romig class of 1985 for notification.
Published April 24, 1981 by Lansing State Journal
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/east-lansing-mi/robert-pitts-12354657