John Pappageorge. The three stayed
very close, to include attendance together at the Army War College.
Upon graduation, Bob chose the Armor
branch and served in multiple command positions in many locations,
including troop commander in the 1st Cavalry and 2nd Armored
Divisions, and squadron commander in the 2nd Armored Cavalry
Regiment. Other key assignments included: Mathematics Department
instructor, USMA, after receiving an M.S. degree from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute; aide-de-camp to the Chief of Korean Military
Advisory Group; Office of Personnel Operations, Department of the
Army; Deputy G4, V Corps, Germany; staff and faculty of the Army War
College after graduation; and the Combined Arms Development
Activity, Fort Leavenworth, KS.
In the mid-1960s, he served in Vietnam,
first in Headquarters, Military Assistance Command and later as the
squadron executive officer, 4th Cavalry Squadron, 1st Division. Bob
distinguished himself during this combat tour and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, and three Air
Medals. Bob retired as a colonel in 1981.
After retirement, Bob accepted a systems
engineering position with Martin
Marietta in Littleton, CO. While there, he started
Pathfinder Software and Reed
Realty. He helped his son Chris start Reed’s Inc.
(NYSE: REED) making natural ginger ales, root beer, and many other
gourmet sodas.
In 2000, he moved to Carlsbad, CA. He
moved again in 2015 to Temecula,
CA to live with his son Bob Jr. The two Bobs started
the La Vigna a Destra
Vineyard, which roughly translates to “the vineyard
on the right.” His new
home and 10-acre vineyard was the property to the
right of daughter Jennifer and her husband Rick’s Cougar Vineyard
and Winery.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife of
49 years, Carole Irene Moran, in
December 2003. They were married at West Point in
June 1954. Both were devout Catholics all of their lives. Bob and
Carole had six children: Bob Jr., Kathy, Chris, Mary Beth, Mark, and
Jennifer; 11 grandchildren; and 1 great-grandchild.
As a cadet, Bob had many interests, and
that didn’t change throughout his life. His love of country and West
Point never diminished, and one of his last out-of-town visitors was
Jim Sloan, who, with Bob, celebrated their respective birthdays, as
was their custom, having been born two days apart.
Bob and Carole enjoyed traveling to visit
friends they had met over the years,
including many trips to ski country and to places as
far away as Jerusalem and
across Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin
Wall.
Bob was an avid Broncos fan, and when
the Broncos weren’t playing he could be found watching the PGA. He
also had a very strong interest in American politics, as well as
international relations. One of his favorite pastimes was to work
through a challenging crossword puzzle with the ever-present Fox
News in the background. Bob started each day researching numerous
sources to keep
abreast of the world situation. He was an expert in
these matters.
Earlier in life, Bob was an avid hunter,
handball player, advanced skier, accomplished tennis player,
mountain biker, and even dabbled in golf, which he described as a
game for old men. He was very active as an entrepreneur and was
involved in local politics for a time. He also had a
great sense of humor and a
wonderful singing voice. Bob’s varied interests
helped ensure a razor-sharp intellect to his last days.
Bob’s death was the result of
complications following a bypass operation after a heart attack. He
was interred in the West Point Cemetery on Saint Patrick’s Day along
with his wife, Carole. Family and
friends are so proud to have known Bob,
and he is greatly missed by one and all.
