Mr. Robert Fred Muir

ROBERT FRED MUIR 1924-2021 We mourn the loss of our dear father, grandfather and great grandfather Robert (Bob) on February 14, 2021. After the passing of his wife Nancy Y. Muir in December 2020, we are sure that he is now enjoying this Valentine’s Day with his Valentine. Bob was born to Fred and Ella Muir on September 22, 1924, in Mechanicville, NY. Bob and his sister Luella grew up in Mechanicville, north of Albany, NY, and as they were eighteen months apart in age, they were very close. Bob’s family enjoyed summer vacations at Lake George, and Bob cultivated a newspaper route near his home. After graduating Mechanicville High School at 16 years of age, he attended a business school in Troy, NY. Bob heard the call of his Army recruiter and enlisted in late 1942. Bob’s basic training was at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois. Over the next year, he trained in Colorado, Nebraska, Louisiana, and Kentucky. In 1944 Bob was assigned to the 75th Infantry Division, Company C, 289th Regiment. His company traveled to New Jersey, where they boarded the SS Aquitania (sister ship of the doomed SS Lusitania), and they landed at Glasgow, Scotland. Bob’s company was transported on through France to Belgium, for the onset and completion of the Battle of the Bulge. They set up a radio communication center in a vacated Belgian house and became a transportation and medical center. As they mobilized their unit towards the Battle of the Bulge, they were forced to dig trenches to sleep in. Bob recalled waking up in a pool of freezing water in that trench. After spending Christmas in Belgium, the ground company was rescued by General Patton. Shortly after Easter, his company was in Germany supported by only three light tanks, when they were attacked by mortar fire. The rest of the group was in a convoy of Jeeps. One of the Jeep drivers became shell shocked and was unable to drive. The commanding officer requested a volunteer driver. Twenty-year-old Bob volunteered and drove the men in his Jeep back through the enemy’s hillside, facing German artillery and other unknown dangers as the end of World War II came to a close in May of 1945. Bob spent time in London furthering his education until returning to New York in 1946. He gained admission to Syracuse University and became a Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother, which offered the benefit of a room at the fraternity house. He graduated from Syracuse in 1949 with a B.S. in Accounting. He landed his first job in accounting at Arthur Anderson, and lived in Queens. Bob found opportunity to escape the city by visiting his sister Luella, who lived on the far east end of Long Island, in Greenport. It was Luella who introduced Bob to her friend Nancy Yetter, and it didn’t take long for Bob to have a romantic reason to escape to Greenport! Bob was also enlisted on weekends to help his brother-in-law Fred Nazaruk build one of the area’s first drive-in movie theatres. After courting Nancy Yetter for 4 years and writing over 130 love letters, Bob married the love of his life in Greenport on April 7, 1951. They started their life together in Wantagh and Bob took the train into the city for work. Their first son Bobby was born in 1954, and they moved to Dix Hills in 1955, then Alan came along in 1960. The family became active members of Old First Presbyterian Church in Huntington, NY, where Bob served as an Elder and choir member. Bob eventually began work with an advertising agency, and that experience led to work with the highly ranked advertising agency, Doyle Dane and Bernbach in 1968. He took the train from Huntington to Manhattan every weekday. Bob retired from DDB in 1988 as Senior Vice President and Corporate Comptroller. The Long Island Railroad sent him a certificate for veteran ridership of 37 years! As retirees, Bob and Nancy sold their home in Dix Hills and moved to their renovated summer home in East Marion, NY. Bob became an antsy retiree and joined the Oyster Ponds School District as their Comptroller in 1989. Bob served Oyster Ponds until 2007, when he and Nancy moved to Maryville, Tennessee to be closer to son Alan. Bob and Nancy enjoyed their last fourteen years at Shannondale of Maryville. They made many friends there, and the family is extremely grateful for the nurturing, yet skillful care they received from the Shannondale staff. The family is also grateful to First Light Home Care for their attentive care. New Providence Presbyterian Church has been their beloved church home and we appreciate the visits they made to both Nancy & Bob at Shannondale. Bob is survived by his sons Robert Bruce Muir(Nancy), and Alan David Muir, grandchildren Drew Muir (Sharyn), Melissa Cruz Muir (Francisco), great grandchildren Amelia, Olivia, Isaac and Allison Cruz Muir. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Bob’s honor to: Shannondale of Maryville Attention: Dawn Doud 804 Shannondale Way Maryville, TN. 37803 Dawn.doud@shannondaleTN.org To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. Robert Fred Muir please visit our Sympathy Store.