Robert Andrew "Bob" Tait
Robert Andrew “Bob” Tait, 92, of Staunton, Virginia, passed away on Saturday, April 29, 2023. He was the widower of Ramona Kelly Tait who passed away in 2020.
He was born to Downing and Mary Tait in Brunswick, Georgia on April 7th, 1931. He had three brothers, Downing, James and Jack, and two sisters, Martha Terzian and Mary Roberts, all deceased.
Bob’s family moved a lot during his early years, but much of his formative years were spent in Chester, Virginia where he received most of his primary and secondary education. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. As a co-op student, he worked for DuPont beginning in 1948. Following his graduation in 1953, Bob began a 42-year career with DuPont before retiring at the company’s Waynesboro, VA facility in 1992. Bob participated in numerous plant startups. He introduced a number of process and equipment changes. One patent has been in continuous service at multiple locations for over 65 years. His career was interrupted by two years of service in the U. S. Army Signal Corps as a first Lieutenant. Immediately after retirement, Bob worked as a consultant with DuPont’s Technology Transfer Group and participated in design, installation and startup of Nylon Plants in Turkey and Indonesia. He also worked on other projects in India, China, USSR and Columbia. Following his “second DuPont retirement”, for five years he worked as a process engineer at the old Chemstrand nylon plant in Pensacola Florida, then for almost 8 years for Virginia Department of Transportation in Verona, Virginia, and for several years as a volunteer at the Augusta Medical Center hospital in Fishersville, Virginia. Bob did not like retirement. He said the volunteer job was the best paying job even though there was no monetary income to offset the considerable money he spent to supply his “help yourself candy dish”. The smiles were priceless.
Bob and Ramona Kelly married April 6, 1957. During their 62 years of marriage, they had six children Genie Capps and her husband, Jim and Robert Kelly Tait of Chattanooga, Andrew L. Tait of Staunton and the late Thomas Tait, Teri Conlon and her husband, Mark of Newport News and Laura Tait and her husband, Darrell Bradley of Staunton. To my children, I say “we have had our highs and lows – remember the good times”. There are 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
A special thanks to Dr. Heck and Augusta Health Shenandoah House. Mary, Megan and Susan worked tirelessly for Mr. Tait, as well as the nurses and staff at Augusta Health.
A Memorial Celebration of Bob’s life, with Military Honors, will be held 1:00 pm, Monday, May 8, 2023 in the Chapel of Charlton and Groome Funeral Home, 619 Lifecore Drive, Fishersville.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to support either Alzheimer’s or brain cancer research at UVA Health. Gifts can be made online by visiting at.virginia.edu/supportuvahealth, selecting “Memory Disorders Program (15632)” or “Neuro-Oncology Program Support (13604)” in the Designation field, noting the gift is in memory of Robert Tait. Checks can be made out to Rector and Visitors of UVA and mailed to UVA Health, P.O. Box 37963, Boone, Iowa 50037.
Share memories and condolences and view obituary at www.charltonandgroomefuneralhome.com.
