Robert Allen Rand, beloved and doting son, big brother, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, colleague, neighbor and friend.
Robert (Bob) Allen Rand, of Wilmington, N.C., died peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. He was 80. Bob was the loving and much-loved husband of Linda (Ellington) Rand, who preceded him in death, and the devoted son of his late parents, Allen W. Rand, Sr., and Dorothy R. Rand. Bob was also preceded in death by his brother, Dick, sister-in-law, Susie (Dick’s wife), brother-in-law Ed Burke, and brother, Doug.
Bob is survived by two daughters, Cindy Burns of Modesto, Calif. and Penni Ellington of Burbank, Calif.; nine siblings, including Marilyn of Alexandria, Va., Kathleen Rand-Burke of Colorado Springs, Colo., Dottie of Weymouth, Mass., Ron (Berni) of Alexandria, Va., Al of Quincy, Mass., Judith Cristini (Paul) of Santa Fe, N.M., Russ of Hanover, Mass., Mike (Andrea) of Alexandria, Va., Tom (Barb) of Pensacola, Fla., another sister-in-law, Teresa (Doug’s widow), of Quincy, Mass.; lots of cousins, nieces and nephews, two grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Bob was born in Weymouth, Mass., and grew up in nearby Quincy. The oldest of the 12 Rand kids, he always set a good example for the rest of us, getting excellent grades in school, working and saving for college, earning Eagle Scout honors, and helping our parents raise us.
He graduated from Quincy High School in 1960 and went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., graduating in 1964 with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering. After graduation, he began a career with General Electric in Philadelphia, Pa., that lasted the rest of his life.
In 1967, Bob earned his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and in 1974, his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, both from RPI.
From Philadelphia, he moved to GE’s Research Center in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1970, then to GE in San Jose, Calif., in 1975, and finally to GE in Wilmington in 1994. At the time of his death, Bob was still employed at GE as a retired pensioner, and his total time working for the company was 58 years, 6 months and 24 days. Sadly, he fell short of his goal to work for GE until he was 90, but he gave it his all and was a recognized industry-leading, thermal-mechanical expert.
Bob met Linda, in 1990 at GE, and they were married in San Jose in 1992. For the rest of their lives together, they were inseparable. She was the love of his life.
We’re proud of Bob for all he accomplished in life, but even more proud of the man he was and the way he lived. A humble, decent, honest, kind and generous guy, he asked for nothing and gave everything to anyone and everyone in need. We miss him dearly, but we’re comforted that he has found peace, and is with his beloved Linda, our absent family members, a bunch of Westies, and unlimited cheeseburgers and Diet Pepsi.
A memorial service and celebration of life were held in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Coble Funeral and Cremation Service, 1155 Shipyard Blvd. Boulevard.
There will be a graveside service at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, at Blue Hill Cemetery, 700 West St., in Braintree, Mass.
Family friend, Reverend Bill Ferguson, Senior Pastor at Pilgrim Church UCC in Duxbury, Mass., will lead the service. Family and friends wishing to pay their respects should meet at the cemetery office no later than 10:45 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, Bob asked that donations be made to the Salvation Army, an organization he supported his whole life because Mom and Dad supported it, or to www.westierescue.com, an organization he and Linda were proud to support and from which they rescued many of the Westies they loved so much.