Robert Appleton

SOUTHBRIDGE: Robert J. Appleton, 86, of Country Club Place, died Thursday, Feb. 19, at UMASS-Memorial Hospital.

He leaves his wife Amy (Stock) Appleton. His first wife Virgil M. (Earls) Appleton died in 1978.

He leaves a son Robert J. Appleton Jr. of Brimfield a daughter Barbara Davis of Windham, VT, two step-daughters Constance Jones of Denver; Catherine Epperson of Rye, NH; a brother Ralph Appleton of Penfield, NY;  10 grandchildren.

Mr. Appleton was born in Rochester, NY Sept. 3, 1922, the son of Oscar Samuel Appleton and Helen (Dake) Appleton. Growing up in the Rochester area, principally in Irondequiot, NY, he attended schools in the area and graduated from Edison Tech in Rochester.  After graduation he went to work for the Kellogg-American Division of American Brake Shoe Co., a manufacturer of air compressor equipment. He enlisted in the Army Air Force during WW2 and attended officers’ training school at Norwich University in Northfield VT where he married Virgil M. Earls in May of 1943. He served in the European theater, flying attack bombers on missions aimed at disrupting enemy supply lines in France just prior to D-Day. Injured during this period, he served the rest of the war in a training capacity in the U.S.

After the war he returned to work at Kellogg-American, purchased some land in Penfield N.Y. and designed a house for his family which he built himself over a three year period during weekends and vacations. In 1953 he was promoted to a sales position and assigned the New England territory, moving to Lexington, MA. During this time he was an active member of the Lexington Lodge of Elks and, while raising a family, continued to pursue his hobbies of golf, fishing and woodworking. Later, he became interested in sailing and bought a sailboat. For several years he and Virgil spent much of every summer sailing up and down the New England coast.

After his two children were grown, he and his wife moved to Hampton N.H. where they continued to enjoy sailing and golf at the Abenaqui Country Club. After Virgil passed away in 1978 Bob retired from Kellogg and became owner of Air Service, Co., a small business selling and servicing air compressor equipment, with branches in Westbrook, Maine and Manchester N.H.

 In 1984, he met and married Amy Stock who has provided love and companionship for the last 25 years as well as expanding his family with the addition of two stepdaughters and their families. In 1986 At the Abenaqui he recorded the first of his two holes-in-one, the second coming in 1994 in Hilton Head, SC.  In 1989 Bob retired again, selling his business and moving to Hilton Head. where he and Amy lived for the next ten years enjoying golf and an active social life. In 1999 they moved to Southbridge to be nearer their growing family of grandchildren and great grandchildren living in New England. He was a member of the Sturbridge Federated Church where he devoted his energy and expertise with woodworking and antiques to reconditioning furniture for the church’s annual auction. During the years in Southbridge, in addition to golfing at Cohasse Country Club, fishing, reading history and yard work. Bob derived considerable pleasure the weekly visits from his great-grandson Oscar and their competitive games of cribbage.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00PM, Saturday, Feb. 28 in the Sturbridge Federated Church, at RT. 131 and Maple St. Sturbridge. There are no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to the Sturbridge Federated Church Auction Fund, PO Box 193, Sturbridge, Ma. 01566

 Belanger-Bullard Funeral Home 51 Marcy St. Southbridge is directing arrangements. An online guestbook is available at www.BelangerFuneralHome.com