From Pete Adolph.
Robert Harrison Weight
November 7, 1939 - September 12, 2021
Bob died comfortably at his home,
with his children and brother at his side. True to himself until the end, he was
eating ice cream in the minutes before he died.
Bob is survived by his three
children: Terrell Curtis, Richard Weight, and Catherine Orr, as well as his
brother Rich. In addition, he is remembered by his six grandchildren and four
nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Adelaide and Harrison, as
well as his sister Ann.
Bob graduated from Jamesville-DeWitt
High School in upstate New York in 1957 and attended Colgate University while
awaiting an appointment to the new US Air Force Academy. Upon receiving his
appointment, he ventured out to the wild west to begin basic training at Lowry
AFB and learn about enchiladas. As part of the 1962 graduating class, he was
among the first to have completed all four years at the recently constructed
campus in Colorado Springs. Bob then completed his MS in Aeronautical
Engineering from the University of Michigan and was assigned to the Fighter
Branch of Flight Test Engineering at the AF Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB in
California. While there he flew as fast as Mach 2.8, and as high as 75,000 feet,
noting that "Nothing beats the thrill of flying 300 feet off the deck in an F-4
at 750 KIAS". He was the project engineer on various flight test programs
including the F-4, F-111, and the AC-130 Gunship before resigning his commission
in 1968. The remainder of his career was spent in various management roles with
several different airlines and ending with a 27 year career with the city of
Lakewood (Colorado) as Fleet Manager. Bob was a pioneer of sorts in the world of
on-line leaning. He began teaching management classes in person with the
University of Phoenix in the early 1980's and jumped to the on-line format as
soon as it was available, working on a clunky Compaq computer with many floppy
disks.
Bob said he hoped to be remembered
for his sense of humor, his integrity, his love for family and friends and his
squash buddies around the world. At one point, Bob was a nationally ranked
doubles squash player, and the love of the game facilitated many great travels
and countless good friends. He played in tournaments at the age of 80. Bob's
continued recovery from alcohol, which began in 1988, was something of which he
was most proud. His time and work with his AA community meant the world to him,
and his family is always grateful for the support and tough love he found there.
His recovery was integral to who he was, was the hardest thing he'd ever done,
and it allowed for healing with his family and friends.
Over the last 18 months Bob has said,
over and over, that he counted himself a very lucky guy who lived a life most
can only dream of, with countless friends and family who helped make this
happen. He will be dearly missed, always.