Robert S. McClure III

Robert S. McClure III (Bob) was born promptly before his twin brother (Richard a.k.a. McDick) on October 31, 1941 in Chester, PA, a fact that he would never let his brother forget for more than 80 years. Bob and his “womb mate” spent much of their childhood on their family farm where they tended to the animals and formed their first corporation, Bob and Dick’s Wrecking Company, at the age of eight. While the company was wildly successful in driving their parents and sisters crazy, destroying things, and earning significant punishments, the company folded as the boys spent several fabulous years at Valley Forge Military Academy where, of course, the spirit of B&D WC continued.

Bob enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and served for 6 years where his leadership and dedication were clearly evident, achieving a final rank of E-5 Sergeant. He was a dedicated service man for his entire life, giving back to his country and others as often as possible. This dedication to service and others was the backbone of who Bob was and how he led his life every single day. He gave his time volunteering for his children’s sports teams booster clubs, laying wreaths on soldiers graves at Christmas time, plowing snowy driveways at all hours of the day and night so everyone could get out of their homes safely, delivery turkeys to his employees and customers during the holidays, and buying school lunches for kids to name just a few. He ended every conversation with “Can I do anything to help you?”

Bob’s most important achievement occurred when he picked up a beautiful soloist in church at a wedding, the love of his life, Joy. As she was the last to leave the church at the end of the service, he waited for her by the door and extended his arm. Together they would spend more than 60 years raising two children and four grandchildren and building a home full of love, laughter, partnership, friendship, and importantly, sarcasm. Their home was always open to everyone - they housed countless guests and hosted numerous parties. Bob proudly stated that he never counted the beers in the downstairs refrigerator, much to the delight of his children and their friends.

For more than 50 years, Bob dedicated his working life alongside McDick to the family machine tool company, leading large teams of people to design, create, build, and deliver technical and intricate precision machine parts for everything you can imagine - from airplane wings to medical implants. He took tremendous pride in the work performed at Uff Machine Company, a perfectionist in the quality of the products and also in the health and safety for his workers and the environment. His family and friends had a vast variety of Bob-made items in their homes, mostly made of stainless steel including stainless steel firewood racks, fireplace andirons, a basketball backboard, a clothes drying rack, and a cat litter box (no joke). He also built beautiful wooden furniture as gifts for his loved ones.

Most of all, Bob was a fixer of all things. If you had an issue at your home, Bob would buy all of the materials (including extra materials that you might need for the future), come to your home, and fix whatever was broken while teaching you how to do it yourself the next time. He worked on roofs, in crawlspaces, in the trees, under sinks, and around appliances. He helped to complete numerous renovations at his children’s homes as well as the homes of his surrogate children, of which there are too many to count. To the delight of many children in West Chester, he kept the neighborhood pool functioning for decades.

Bob’s fondest memories were of horseback riding on the family farm, cruising in his convertibles, hunting and fishing with his brother, son and numerous close friends, sailing with his family on the Chesapeake Bay, spending vacations on the beach in New Jersey and North Carolina, enjoying traveling with Joy to beautiful places such as Alaska, Italy, and France, enjoying hiking in the mountains of western North Carolina. Mostly, Bob enjoyed talking about his incredible family, which he would do at length to anyone that would listen. In his final days, he was still bragging about his amazing grandchildren.

Bob’s surviving family includes his beautiful wife Joy; children Bob, Liz (daughter-in-law), Julie, and Larry (son-in-law); grandchildren Jack and his partner Olivia, Erin, Kate, and Ryan; sister and brother-in-law Susan and Howard; sister-in-law Bonnie; numerous nieces and nephews; and countless friends, while not related by blood or marriage, were absolutely family to him.

We ask that you please give back in memory of Bob and pay it forward: e.g., help a friend with a project, take someone to the airport, lend an ear to someone with a problem. If you would like to give financially, we ask that you donate to the Low Country Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes (https://lfwmh.org/) in honor of Robert S. McClure III.