Robert Francis DeHaye, Sr., known as Bob, Dad, and Papa, passed away peacefully at his home – one day shy of his 82nd birthday – on Sunday, November 5, 2023. He was born in Griffin, Georgia, in 1941, and raised in Atlanta, along with his sister, Mary, and brothers, John and Don. He attended Christ the King Grammar School and Marist College High School. He graduated in 1964 from Georgia Tech with a degree in Physics.
In 1964, Bob landed his dream job at NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was employed as a physicist until his retirement in 1998. During his time at NASA, he earned recognition for his contribution towards multiple major projects, most notably the Hubble Space Telescope program in the 1990s.
Bob met Barbara, the love of his life, in 1966. They married in 1969 and raised five children. Bob was a loving dad, taking an active part in all aspects of their lives. He and Barbara worked hard through the years, sacrificing to put all five children through college, often having multiple children in school at the same time.
As a young man, Bob enjoyed hunting, golf, woodworking, and competitive tennis. Later, he developed a passion for coaching and fast pitch softball training. Many of his pupils went on to have successful college careers, of which he was very proud! In his retirement years, he found a new passion…geocaching. He and Barbara, or his geocaching buddies, would plot out long journeys together to maximize the number of finds…collectively traveling many thousands of miles and making tens of thousands of finds. He truly loved the adventure.
Through his children, Bob was blessed with 15 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He was lovingly known to them as Papa. Each one has funny memories of his endearing idiosyncrasies. Papa loved his grandchildren, and his grandchildren loved him.
And speaking of love, Bob adored his wife Barbara of 53.95 years (as he would have calculated.) They lived more than 40 years in the home in which they raised their children. Over the past few years, they remodeled and moved into a new home, which they customized. Bob spent countless hours designing the house to make it perfect for them, and he succeeded. He recently commented on how happy he was with their new home, and how he looked forward to enjoying it with Barbara for many years.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Josephine; his sister; Mary; and his sister-in-law, Frankie. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his children, Laura (Will), Katrina (Jim), Margaret, Bobby (Christy), and Elizabeth (Matt); his grandchildren, Madeline, Caroline, Zach, Annie, Maryanne, Tripp, Jack, Eleanor, John Wesley, Stuart (Hallie), Katherine (Adam), Barrett (Maddy), Harper, A.J., and Hunter; great-grandchildren, James, Colette and Harris; and brothers, John and Don; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday, November 10, 2023, at 11:30 a.m., followed by Holy Mass at 12:30 p.m., with Father Michael MacMahon officiating. The burial will take place on Saturday, November 11, at 9:30 a.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or your favorite charity.
