Robert William Dessent

Robert W. "Bob" Dessent, 92, passed away on Sunday, July 20, following a stroke the prior Thursday.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 60 years Helen Dessent. Also preceding him in death were his parents, George and Mary Dessent of Weston, WV, and sisters Anne Williams and Alice McEwuen.

Bob is survived by his children; Susan Feight of Peninsula, OH; William Dessent (Deborah) of Louisa County, VA; and Steven Dessent of Westminster, MD; as well as his brother Tom Dessent (Marian) of Durham, NC. Bob had six grandchildren, Shannon Manner (Mark), Elizabeth Feight, Alison Welch (Corey), Robert Dessent, Katherine Dessent and Lauren Dessent; six great grandchildren, Edison and Luella Manner, and Tristan, Margo, Maeve and Sebastian Welch.

Bob was born in Weston, WV, graduated from Weston High School and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV. He met his future wife Helen while taking graduate classes at the University of Maryland. They brought their young family to Tallmadge in 1963 when Bob accepted a position at Goodyear where he retired after 33 years of employment.

Bob enjoyed a variety of shooting sports and was a long-time member and officer of the Zeppelin Rifle Club. He spent Wednesday mornings at the range with the guys where they solved a number of the world's problems. He really enjoyed hunting ducks, even though he rarely saw any to shoot. He was an avid photographer with a focus on wildflowers, butterflies and nature landscapes. He developed from film, printed and framed many of his pictures. He and Helen traveled extensively as bird watchers and visited Magee Marsh together every year on their anniversary.

Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at the Donovan Funeral Home, 17 Southwest Ave. (on the Historic Tallmadge Circle).

Graveside service will follow visitation at the Tallmadge Cemetery Gazebo.