Robert Carl Gobelman, '58, 1927-2019
Robert Carl Gobelman
Robert Carl Gobelman was born July 7, 1927, in East St Louis, IL. He was the third of four siblings raised by their mother Daisy in impoverished working conditions. Bob passed peacefully into eternity with his Savior and loved ones on June 4, 2019, after stoically enduring prostate cancer and heart disease.
Bob's mom taught him about Jesus Christ, family, country and work. He started working part-time at 13, earned his Eagle Scout Badge at 14, joined the railroad full-time and dropped out of school at 15. In 1945, he joined the Navy, after eating bananas for a month to make his weight. After 4 1/2 years of serving in the Pacific Fleet, including on the starboard catapult of the USS Princeton CV-37, he tried civilian life again. He next joined the Army Reserve, the unit that met on Tuesday night so he could play poker with friends. He learned he was a combat engineer when his battalion was called to active duty in August 1950. Blessedly, they were sent to Germany. Over the next 2 1/2 years, he toured Bavaria planning to blow up bridges while earning his GED and maturing.
Read more at The Florida Times-Union