J. Robert Hess

J. Robert Hess entered the presence of his Lord and Savior peacefully on Friday, April 8, 2016, surrounded by his loving family. He was born November 6, 1930, the middle child of the late Elvin J. Hess and Anna (Amand) Hess, on the family farm, south of Strasburg.He was married to Evelyn J. (Sangrey) Hess on June 28, 1952, and they enjoyed 63 years together.
Graduating from West Lampeter Township High School in 1947, he was the youngest member of his class. He was active in the FFA program and was given their highest award—The American Future Farmer Degree—in 1947. He was a 4-H club member in several agricultural clubs, and served on judging teams of Holstein cattle at county, state, and national levels.
He started his own registered Holstein herd in 1953, farming on land adjacent to the family farm in Strasburg Township.Active in many agricultural areas, he served as Director of the Lehigh Valley Dairy in Allentown, and also on Red Rose DHIA, Lancaster Co. Senior Extension, and County, State, and National Holstein Associations.
Bob changed careers in 1967, becoming a Realtor and Real Estate Broker. In 1970, he along with 4 others established Kingsway Realty. He loved helping clients find the home of their dreams and counting them as friends for life.He enjoyed meeting new people and could talk to anyone.He was a member of Lancaster County Realtors Association and the Lancaster County Builders Association. In addition, he served as a bank director for the Bank of Lancaster County for 30 years. He was instrumental in the development of a number of residential and industrial/commercial communities including: Penn Grant Village, Indian Springs Estates, Waterfront Estates North, and Old Sycamore Industrial Park.
He was an active member of Neffsville Mennonite Church for 60 years and had a strong faith in God. Bob was a loving devoted father to 2 sons and 2 daughters, making it a priority to attend their sporting events and activities. Even with a busy schedule, he would always "show up."His family—children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren—came first in his life.
He and his wife Evelyn loved to travel with friends, and from the age of 16, Bob was a member of the Green Laurel Hunting Club. Also a member of the Conewago Ski Club, he would ski in the early years and take a mystery trip each fall in the later years, creating wonderful memories. He also enjoyed spending several weeks each February in Puerto Rico, and time with the family at the condo in Ocean City, NJ.
He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; four children, eleven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren (all of Lancaster unless noted): a son, Robert D. "Rob" (married to Barbara Horst) and their children, Lindsay (Chad Heller; Sophie, Riley, Chase and Brighton), Lauren (James Herr; Paisley, JB and Lakelyn), and Tyler (Allison Charles; Aspen, Elle and Ruxton); a daughter, Debra (married to David Butterworth) and their children, Coleman (of North Carolina), Devan (Ryan Quandt; Aliza, of Florida), and Marin; a daughter, Kim (married to Mike Pellman) and their children, Matthew (of Philadelphia), Brooke (Mike Herr; Westin, Bennett and Everly); a son, Jack (Rebecca Russell) and their children, Brad (of New York), Kelly (fianc Ruben Gonzalez, of Chil), and Morgan (of Philadelphia).
He is also survived by a sister, Eileen Thomas (of Lancaster), brother James (Ginny Hassel, of Quarryville), sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Kenneth & Gladys (Sangrey) Martin, Lititz, and sister-in-law Velma (Landis) Hess, Strasburg. He was preceded in death by brothers Elvin and Richard, and sister-in-law Thelma (Sangrey) Hess.
The family would like to express their sincere appreciation and a heartfelt thank-you to the staff at Landis Homes for the compassionate and loving care given to Bob these past 5 months.
Viewing and visitation will be held Thursday, April 14th at Neffsville Mennonite Church from 5-8 PM. Private traditional burial will be on Friday at 9:00 AM at Strasburg Mennonite Cemetery.A Memorial service will be held at Neffsville Mennonite Church, Friday, April 15th at 11:00 AM.Kindly omit flowers.Memorial contributions may be made in Bob's memory to Neffsville Mennonite Church, 2371 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601 or to Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St. Akron, 17501, PA. Arrangements entrusted to Murray A. Miller at Reynolds Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc.To send an online note of condolence, please visit our website at reynoldsfuneralhome.net.