In Loving Memory
Robert J Booth Sr.
September 10, 1929 - July 9, 2022

Robert J. Booth – A True Man For Others

Robert J. Booth, son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, Knight, Catholic, Man for Others, joker, veteran, and Marine, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 9, 2022 at the age of 92. He is free of the Dementia that ravaged his brain and personality the last three years and is now partying with Jesus.

Bob was born on September 10, 1929, to Edna and William ("Corky") Booth in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of four children, Bob and his siblings, William, Shirley, and Virginia, lived and played on the streets of Northside as a child, including Hamilton Ave, Innes Ave., Glen Parker Ave., and Thompson Heights Ave. Bob and his friends could often be heard hollering throughout Glen Parker's Woods and Buttercup Valley long before any apartments or schools were even considered for that area. It would not be unusual for them to jump the fence at Spring Grove Cemetery in order to pull some blue gills or catfish out of the many beautiful ponds there.

Tragedy would strike the Booth household when Bob's brother, William, was struck and killed by a truck while running across the street to get an ice cream from the original location of Putz's Ice Cream on Spring Grove Avenue just down the street from Knowlton's Corner. While a tragedy for the family, it made the bond between Bob and his two sisters, Shirley and Jinny, an unbreakable one that would last a lifetime.

Bob went to grade school at St. Pat's Catholic School in Northside. As a sign of the times, even though he lived directly behind St. Boniface School, another Catholic School, his parents insisted he walk the ten blocks to St. Patrick's School as St. Boniface was a German Catholic School and St Pat's was an Irish Catholic School (and Bob's family claimed more Irish than anything else). Bob would frequently use the absurdity of that situation as a lesson for his children. In his later years, Bob would attend many St. Pat's reunions and reconnected with many St. Pat's friends. When St. Pat's closed, Bob, like all alum of St Pat's, was sad, but Bob did take pleasure in visiting Urban Artifact that opened in the old St. Pat's building.

During his time at St. Pat's, Bob got his first job at Spring Grove Cemetery as a grass cutter. The job paid a quarter a day, but, unfortunately, he let go of a grass mower and it ran down the hill cutting a path through the beautiful ivy-covered graves. A demotion to Assistant to the Grave Digger was soon foisted upon him. While no one likes to be demoted, Bob got great pleasure telling that story to anyone who would listen over the next 70 years. He learned from the grave diggers the value in doing a job the right way. He was impressed that they could "cut" a grave straight down for six feet and the respect they always showed for the deceased. He knew that the current grave diggers at Spring Grove Cemetery would have as much respect for him when it came his time as the grave diggers did 80 years ago.

After St. Pat's, Bob was fortunate enough to attend St. Xavier High School at the corner of Seventh and Sycamore Streets in downtown Cincinnati. St. X would not move to its current location on North Bend Road for another ten years. At St. X, Bob benefited greatly in the Jesuit education afforded him and became a true Man for Others. The impact of being a "Man for Others" was never lost on Bob as he looked into serving those around him throughout his life, whether it be volunteering at the Soup Kitchen in Over the Rhine, cutting the grass of his children and others, shoveling the snow of neighbors, Chairing the "Big Six" Booth at Little Flower's Festival, becoming a Third Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus (Northside), or serving as President of Mt. Airy Civic Club.

Bob graduated from St. X High School in 1947 and immediately enrolled in Xavier University, setting a precedent for many of his progeny. He graduated with a degree in Economics from Xavier, one of the first in his family to graduate from college.

After Xavier, Bob decided to serve his country (more accurately, Bob's country decided that he would serve his country). Bob could choose any branch of the military so long as it was the Marines. Actually, he could choose between the Army and the Marines and he said he chose the Marines because he liked the discipline. He knew that it was likely that he would be sent to Korea to fight, and he was right. While in Korea, he received the Purple Heart for head wounds sustained in battle. Like most Veterans, Bob rarely, if ever, spoke of his service. Certainly not around his family. He was not embarrassed by his service, but it was not something to dwell on, either. He did what was expected and did it well so that we all could enjoy the freedoms we have. He was not afraid to make up ridiculous stories, though. He claimed to his kids that he was a prisoner of war (he wasn't) and buried up to his neck with honey poured over his head so the ants would get him.

Upon returning from Korea, Bob began dating Shirley Veeneman. They were married on October 8, 1955 and remained married until Shirley's death in 2019. As Shirley would often say, "We have been married for 40 Happy Years! And out of 60 that isn't bad!" She obviously had the same joking attitude that her husband did.

Bob and Shirley had nine children, William, Robert Jr. (Debbie), Gary (Mindy), James, Thomas (Kim), Traci, Terri, Michael (Patty), and Joseph (Marika). William and James unfortunately died at or soon after childbirth, but always lived on in Bob and Shirley's hearts. Joe (a.k.a. "Precious") rounded out the Booth troupe at which point Shirley made the executive decision that she did not want to have children the same age as her grandchildren, so they were finished. It is a good thing, too, as they already have 18 grandchildren, Robbie, Andy, Liz, Jim, Brad, Nick, Colleen, Rebecca, Abbey, Kelly, Justin, Lisa, Danielle, James, Jordan, Lydia, Annie, and Dylan, and 15 great-grandchildren Jaelin, Makell, Jude, Alfie, Liam, Noah, Brooks, Brantley, Jesse, Harper, Ella, Aria, Lilly, Olivia and Benjamin. .

Bob and Shirley raised their clan in Cheviot (Meyerfeld Ave), Springdale (Pinney Lane) and Mt. Airy (Harrywood Ct). No matter where they lived, the Church was always the center of their lives, whether it was St. Martins, Corpus Christi, or St. Teresa - Little Flower. All of their children went to Catholic grade schools and high schools, and attended Mass every weekend, at least "while you live under my roof."

Shirley was primarily a stay at home mother while Bob worked first for General Electric and then for more than twenty years for Western and Southern Life Insurance. While never rich financially, Bob and Shirley made sure their children had all they needed, and then some. Bob and Shirley moonlighted as caterers for Hilvers Catering on the weekends to help make ends meet. Earl J. Hilvers and the rest of the Hilvers family kept the large Booth family fed for many years. Even long after Bob retired he would drive by the Hilvers store on Colerain so he could relive some great memories with great people.

To say that Bob and Shirley liked to have a good time would be an understatement. From the legendary 4th of July Pool Parties in the Booth backyard (including Bob's inevitable, fully-clothed, tipsy, dive into the pool at the end of the night and the well-lubricated group who would grab a flag and parade in the front door and out the back door of many homes on Harrywood Ct.), to the Tall Stacks and WEBN fireworks parties at the Quality Inn in Kentucky, the "I am just going to have a quick beer" at the Mayer's house in Northside, the three day bender Veeneman Family Reunions in Sunman, Indiana (Bob sure could fill out a dress), the trips to Keeneland, the parties at Meadowbrook, the many, many wedding receptions, the parties under the awning at the Koehler's on Aries Ct., the New Year's Day Bowl Game parties at the Stiers, the beers on the Schneider's front porch, the Harrywood Ct. block parties, and the "Sunday Social" group, it is clear the Booths liked to let loose. And Bob was always the first to say, "Can I get you a drink?"

Bob was always a hit with the neighborhood kids, too. He would challenge them to arm wrestle or a footrace down the street, chase them around the block with hot peppers, invent games in the pool for the kids to play (or maybe just keep them occupied), or show up late to the party with pickled pigs' feet and limburger cheese to make sure the kids knew he had arrived. Many a niece, nephew and neighborhood child were warned about the "big bear in the woods" or "the bear right behind them." He wanted to make sure everyone had a good time.

One of Bob's favorite hobbies was gardening. Bob and Shirley's friends from the neighborhood, Charlie and Donna Thiemann, were gracious enough to allow him to share a large garden on their land on Gaines Road. Or maybe Bob just started planting things there without their permission. Who knows? During the summers, Bob would go over there most nights to pull weeds and would usually drag one of his kids along with him. His children learned a lot about gardening, and many of his children carry on the tradition by planting gardens of their own. Bob did not own a pick-up truck, so in order to properly fertilize his plants he would often pick up manure to take to the garden by putting the manure in the trunk of his Fleetwood Cadillac. The trunk of that car was large enough to fit a Tesla in it, but I don't think GM ever thought anyone would be putting manure back there. Then he would just rinse out the trunk with a hose. The man got stuff done, no matter what it took.

Sitting quietly was a trait that Bob never acquired. He had to be doing something. Once when stuck in a traffic jam due to an accident, Bob got out to take a walk along the interstate. When traffic started to move again, Bob was nowhere to be seen, causing much worry to his wife, Shirley, daughter, Terri, and granddaughter, Abbey. It was only until they reached the accident site did they come upon Bob DIRECTING TRAFFIC around the accident while the police sat and watched.

He certainly was not afraid of hard work. He built an in-ground pool in the backyard on Harrywood, with the help of his father, brother-in-law, John Koehler, and, allegedly, his two oldest sons, Bob and Gary. After the pool was filled with water he let his sons know "Now you know what work really is." At 55 years old he roofed the Harrywood house by himself, including carrying all of the shingles up onto the roof of the two story house, with the help, allegedly, of his two sons, Tom and Michael. He cut the grass of his children's yards well into his 70s.

Bob also was a talented artist, a trait he inherited from his Uncle, Joe G Scheuerle. After retirement, he would get out the pencils and a drawing pad a quickly sketch out a house or a car. For having no training, he was very skilled.

He also loved to play cards. Most of his kids could play Gin Rummy before second grade. His Gin Rummy battles with Kent Stier and Roy Herman were legendary. "Penny a point, Quarter a block" defined the game for them. No one seemed to lose much or win much, but they certainly knew what was in each other's hands. Bob passed on cards to the next generation, too, often teaching his grandkids how to play. There were an awful lot of accusations of cheating in those game (cough, cough *Justin * cough, cough), but the grandkids loved it when they would beat Bob in cards.

While always providing for his family, Bob almost never spent money on himself. Before he would spend any money for something he wanted, he had to have a plan to pay for it. When he bought in expensive rototiller, he hired himself out tilling gardens to pay for it. He spent many hours collecting and turning in aluminum cans for the money, and did not hesitate too much to take directly from the recycling bins (as Traci and Terri found out when he almost got them kicked out of a campground). When he found out that White Castles had shorted him one 19 cent hamburger, he did not hesitate to drive the 5 miles back to the store to get his burger. Vacations were not lavish affairs at the Booth household. The most frequent, and most loved, vacations were trips to Bob's parent's cottage on Elk Lake in Kentucky and trips down I-75 to stay with Bob's sister, Jinny, in Atlanta. To quote Bob, "There were kids all over the damn place." He could not have loved it more.

Bob's many sayings are iconic. "Can I get you a drink?" "You know what the monkey said when its tail got cut off? It won't be long now." "They call me Little Jesus." "Are you trying to make out?" "What is your girlfriend's name?" "Those trees are tall." "Do it while you can." "Do you need any money?" "Are you cheating?" "All the women here want to date me." "How is the family?" He also was the original inventor of the "That's what she said" joke. If you asked Bob "You look a little flushed, are you hot?" He would inevitably respond with "That's what all the ladies say."

There were a few things Bob did not excel in. Ladders were a particular nemeses of his. He once was stuck on Gary's, his son's, roof because he could not turn around and come down the ladder. Or maybe the ladder fell. In any event, the fire department was called for the emergency roof extraction. He had his final battle with ladders at around 75 years old. He was changing a light bulb in a ceiling about 20 feet up. He slipped and fell on his back. After he cleaned up his mess, he agreed to go to the hospital. His back was broken. No more ladders for him. He also caught on separate occasions, his backyard on fire and his front bushes on fire.

He also gave all of his boys haircuts until they were old enough to pay for their own haircuts. Summer buzz cuts all around, even in the middle of winter. Unfortunately, he also tried to cut his daughters' hair from time-to-time. Terri was the victim of one particular butchering. It was not pretty, and Shirley let Bob have it. He never cut the girls' hair after that.

You had to be careful around Bob, or you would find yourself a victim of his sense of humor. Many of his children, and their friends, were drenched while sitting on the front porch and Bob would, quietly, open the second floor window and dump a bucket of water on them. Or he would turn on the hot water in his bathroom so that the shower you were taking in the other bathroom turned iceberg cold. You had to be especially careful if he handed you some unrecognizable food item and said, "Try this." It was usually hotter than the sun or a special brand of edible repulsiveness (see pigs feet and limburger cheese above). When he took some of his children deep sea fishing, and everyone on the boat got violently seasick except for him, he thought it was hilarious to go around and ask everyone if they wanted a candy bar. He also faked a call to the police to turn-in his sons, Bob and Gary, niece Cindy Montgomery and nephew Mike Littleton for some terrible crime. They did not think it was funny.

Bob loved his food, also. Liver and onions, pickled herring, and brats and metts were special favorites. If he and Shirley came home late at night it would not be unusual to fire up the grill at midnight for everyone to enjoy a brat or mett. His love of sweets would put any child to shame. He loved spice cake and strawberry shortcake. Many a cowboy cookie was devoured at his sister's, Shirley Koehler's, house. Unfortunately for him, he also ate a dog treat at his son Joe's house because he thought it was a cookie (the dog treat, not the house). And that was before dementia kicked in (it was also before Joe gave him a pot-laced brownie to help his back, which it did). Bob would often have candies or cookies in his pocket for the kids. So much so that some of his grandchildren called him the "Lollipop Grandpa." Towards the end of his life his nutrition consisted mainly of UDF shakes, cookies and deserts.

No doubt that we are going to miss Bob every day. No, his smile did not "light up a room," but he tried to make all of our lives better, and he did so. A special thanks to those of you who touched Bob and Shirley's lives so much, including Pat and Tom Schneider, Rose and Don Kremer, Pat and Marvin Miller, Kent and Peggy Stier (really, the entire Harrywood group), Charlie and Donna Thiemann, Don and Lois Wingerberg, George and Pat Mayer, Shirley Koehler and Arnold Conrad, Jinny and Joe Littleton, and so many others. But above all else, Bob loved family. There is nothing that he and Shirley loved more than getting together with his children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews. So thank you to both Bob's and Shirley's parents, grandparents, siblings, children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. You made their lives so much richer, and we know Bob and Shirley made your lives richer, too.

A very special thanks to Bob's son, Bob Jr. and his daughter, Traci. They provided incredible care during this trying time. They visited him nearly every day for the last two years of his life. He could not have received better care from them. You guys are the best.

If you would like to donate to a charity in Bob's honor, donate to the Alzheimer's Association or to any charity you would like. But Bob would rather you spend a little time with your friends and family in his honor, and maybe raise a glass to toast his life well lived. And, above all else, "Do it while you can."

Dad's visitation will be held at Frederick Funeral Home, 2553 Banning Rd. in Cincinnati from 8:00-9:30 AM on Thursday, July 14 followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at St. James the Greater Church - White Oak at 10:00 AM. Mass will be live streamed at (https://www.stjameswhiteoak.com/). Following the burial at Spring Grove Cemetery, a Celebration of Life will be held at Bob. Special condolences may be expressed at frederickfh.com