September 23, 1930 to July 27 2018
Interact with other friends of Rev. Bob LIVE on September 23, 2018 (his birthday) on Facebook Live and share your memories
Join us on Facebook September 23, 2018 (his birthday) for a live-streaming interactive replay of Bob Eddy’s “Living Wake” video recorded in 2010 for his 80th birthday at the Pensacola Unitarian Universalist Church.
You may watch this video now on YouTube at https://youtu.be/dMKRDBRQ33M . Write your stories and memories and share live during the interactive broadcast.
Or you may leave your comments and stories about him now at the bottom of this page. Or you may contact the family by emailing bobeddy@UURev.org
Obituary
Reverend Robert Miles Eddy (Bob) led an active life full of intellectual curiosity, service and travel. Born September 23, 1930 Bob grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY before attending Syracuse University (BA 1953) and Drew Theological Seminary (1956) and completing postgraduate training in Family Therapy at Albany Medical College in Albany, NY in 1972. After serving Methodist churches in upstate New York, Bob joined the staff of the American Friends Service Committee (Quakers) as Peace Education Secretary in 1958 and served a four-state region (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky). Bob entered the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 1963 and served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Farmington, MI; Schenectady, NY and Denver, CO.
Long before becoming an adult Bob honed his “rabble rouser” skills when he organized his fellow paper boys into a union in protest against unfair payment practices. As a youth Bob had the great fortune to meet Agnes Smedley, an uncompromising activist. Later in life Bob and his wife, Geraldine Dixon Eddy, visited Agnes’s grave in China.
Just causes and civic action motivated Bob throughout his life. Although ordained as a Methodist minister he left after finding he was unable to truthfully recite the creed. He next worked with the Friend’s Service Committee (Quakers) as the Peace Education Director organizing protests accompanying civil rights and peace activities on AFSC Midwest tours including Rustin Bayard, Milton Mayer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Linus Pauling. During his time as a Unitarian Universalist minster he marched in Washington DC, visited Haight Ashbury for E.S.T. training, scandalized the Readers Digest readership with an article advocating pre-marital co-habitation, organized non-violent demonstrations against the Vietnam War and wrote damn-good sermons. He inspired many people in his congregations. Of all his duties as a minister, he was most drawn to pastoral duties regarding family and individual counseling specializing in grief counseling.
Robert Eddy
After leaving the Unitarian Universalist ministry (for the first time) Bob co-founded the Grief Education Institute in Denver, CO and was president of the Colorado Hemlock Society. His time in Colorado also transformed his health as he joined his active wife, Gerry, on hikes, cross-country ski trips and bicycle tours. In 1979 for their 25th wedding anniversary Bob and Gerry bicycled from Michigan to New Jersey visiting all the homes they had lived in. In 2004 for their 50th wedding anniversary they rode bicycles 450 miles along bike trails from Pittsburg to Washington DC. And, on his 85th birthday he bicycled 85 kilometers along the beautiful Pensacola shoreline. Altogether Bob and Gerry rode an estimated 25,000 miles on ‘loaded bikes’ (with camping equipment) in the US, Europe (France being their favorite), New Zealand, and Australia and rode another 25,000 unloaded miles.
But the ministry always called Bob. After 13 years away from the ministry, he accepted interim minister positions first in Boulder, CO then in Adelaide Australia and Indianapolis, IN. Finally, after a year of RV-ing in Mexico and across the length of the US, Bob served as the fulltime minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola (UUCP), officially retiring at age 80. Bob left this world as the proud minister emeritus of UUCP and a grateful voyager on this boat we call earth and in this dream we call life.
In retirement, when he wasn’t riding, he pursued his life-long interests in history of religions, epistemology, and genealogy and preached as a visiting minister up until 4 weeks before his death.
Bob was pre-deceased by his beloved wife of 62 years (Geraldine Dixon Eddy), his brother (Stanley Eddy) and his niece (Cindy Eddy Neilen). Bob always called Gerry his better half and attributed any and all good qualities he had to her. Bob’s decades long photography hobby resulted in capturing 1,000s of images of Gerry and Bob together in every adventure.
Bob leaves behind his three children Lee Eddy (Seattle, WA), Pam Eddy (Bloomington, IN), Miles Eddy (Bloomington, IN), son-in-law Shawn Reynolds (Bloomington, IN), grandchild McCarry Reynolds (Santa Cruz, CA), his brother’s lovely family (Francis Eddy LaPlante, Denise Eddy Hoffman, Sharron Eddy Cataldo, Stanley Eddy, Jr., and his wife’s family (Francis Dixon, Carole Dixon, Richard (Dick) Dickson, Anna Dixon and many great nieces and nephews).
Remembrances can be made to any of the following organizations
- Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola, FL, UUPensacola.org
- American Civil Liberties Union, aclu.org
- Rails to Trails, www.railstotrails.org
- Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org
- Warmshowers, www.warmshowers.org
To learn more about this committed pacifist, wonderful human being, and his family life visit BobAndGerryEddy.com.
Uncle Bob lead a truly amazing life .well lived.may you rest in peace .to my cousins lee Pam and Miles my heart feels your pain .love and God bless
This is a fine obituary for a fine man. Was proud to have known Bob and share ministry stories together on his visits to Denver. May he rest in peace and power.
Always a calm in the storm, Bob Eddy was a welcome presence at First Unitarian in Denver. He will be missed.
Thanks to Bob for all of his wonderful contributions to First Unitarian Church in Denver, and for his friendship. Bob will be missed!
In the short time that I came to know them, both Bob and Gerry made a deep impression on me for their gentleness, kindness, and strong concerns for the earth that gives us life and for justice in our changing world and nation. These memories will stay with me.
Enjoy the bike ride in the sky, goodbye cousin! My sympathy to the whole family, a fine man!
Thank you, Stanley. I wish we had had the opportunity to meet you.
Bob and his family lived next door to us in Farmington, and I became friends with all 3 of the kids. I didn’t know him well then, but I loved becoming his FB friend in the last several years and reading his comments about books, his commentaries on life, and his wonderful sermons. A truly intelligent, thoughtful man – I would have loved sitting down to dinner with him and having a face to face discussion. Sending hugs and prayers to all who loved him, especially Lee, Pam and Miles.
We enjoyed the 3 month long R.V. trip in Mexico with 14 other R.V. back in the 90’s.
RIP Bob
Carolyn & Rob Hagman
They loved that trip. It inspired them to spend more time in San Miguel.
Our condolences. He was a gift to so many and good friend to this congregation.
The Rev. Doak M Mansfield, Minister
The UU Fellowship of the Emerald Coast Valparaiso, FL
Bob was a minister at the UU Society of Schenectady, NY for three short years back in the late 1970s. He will be greatly missed.
Bob and I never had huge amounts of time together, but yet he always found little ways to support me as I discerned my call. I’m really grateful for the encouragement he gave and the example he set.
My first UU church as a child was in Farmington, MI. After 50 years of being unchurched, imagine my surprise when he appeared in the pulpit in front of me at the UUFEC in Valparaiso, FL, bringing my UU life full circle. Loving condolences to the family. We’ll miss that fine man.
Diana are you of the Gibson family that donated land to the UU church? I remember them as amazing activists.
I’m shocked and heartsick. Today I wanted to reach out to Bob just to say hi on the brink of this hurricane. I sent off an email — it bounced! But, there can be lots of reasons for that, beginning with my own clumsy typing. Only when I came to check this website did I find the startling news. Reluctant to take in what was being said, I kept reading. To no avail. A truly dreadful thing has happened. Two dreadful things, actually — Gerry, too has left us!
My wife and I met these two wonderful people when they hosted us on a trip to Florida. It was actually our first trip, occasioned by my need for warmer places and for flat cycling terrain following the chemotherapy that produced these needs. It was a “Warm Showers List” match that we will never forget. What a wonderful, warm welcome to these two strangers from afar. Bob took us on a tour of the historic and artistic attractions. And, the hours of wonderful conversation!
I guess most of us think of ourselves as immortal and regard that our friends share that characteristic. I should know better, since I’ve been staring at the darkness for quite a few years now; I should have kept more in the front of my mind what can happen, and not have let our contact with Bob and Gerry lapse for so long. Truly, a cruel visceral blow; what a loss.
I suppose it seems absurd that, based on that skimpy contact, I could have formed a lovee and attachment to these extraordinary people. Nevertheless, that’s the kind of people they were. I’ll be thankful for all my remaining days for the privilege of knowing and breaking bread with them.
Thank you, Andrejs.