Obituary of Robert Thomas Halley

Robert Thomas Halley was born May 10, 1925, at Homeopathic Hospital and Maternity, Yonkers, NY to Thomas M. and Melva (Bollinger) Halley.

At the age of 18, Bobby enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During WWII he served first on the USS Pennsylvania and then the USS Maryland. He was in multiple naval battles, including Tarawa Atoll, the Battle of Saipan Island, Battle of Pelelieu Islands, Battle for Leyte Gulf and the bombardment of Okinawa. Additionally, he survived his ship being struck by both a torpedo and a kamikaze aircraft strike. After the war, he graduated from Gyro Compass School and served on various ships until he was placed on inactive duty in 1947 and honorably discharged on February 1, 1949. He was awarded five Stars for Asiatic Pacific, two Stars for the Philippine Liberation, and the WWII Victory Medal.

In 1946 he married Gloria Ann Eicher, who would be his wife for the next 54 years. Together they had six children and informally adopted a seventh child into the fold, Cindy Shipley. His children, and later his five grandchildren and five great grandchildren, were his pride and joy.

Bob was no stranger to adventure. He and his family lived in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, until the air conditioning business brought him to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1976. Bob and Gloria loved to entertain. There were many gatherings of Bob and Gloria’s acting group, The Masquers, and their monthly Club group at their home on Front Street; followed in later years by crawfish boils and celebrations at their home on Cross Lake in Shreveport.

Bob loved to travel. Through sales at Honeywell, Bob and Gloria traveled to many islands in the Caribbean. They were also able to take his young family to the Bahamas. For the last decade of his life he organized an annual family beach reunion. He continued to take road trips across the United States with his beloved partner of 14 years, Alice Coleman. They would regularly visit friends and family back in Ohio, St. Louis, and Philadelphia; head to the beach for the summer, or adventure to different destinations for a USS West Virginia/USS Maryland reunion. A month before his passing, they took a steamboat trip up the Mississippi River.

Bob became a devoted member of the congregation at Saint Matthias and an active member of the Solo Group. He deeply valued the friendship and community he found there and strengthened his faith in God.

“The beauty of a life well-lived never dies. It continues to embrace and inspire us.” Bob lived a good life. He was fiercely proud of his children, granddaughters, and great grandchildren. He loved being on the water, traveling, cigars (until his children forced him to quit), cats, reading, studying history, dressing sharp, sitting on his dock with a glass of wine and the paper, debating politics, dancing, playing the banjo, baking pies, volunteering, cooking, and gardening.

Preceded in death by his beloved wife, Gloria (Eicher) Halley; parents, Thomas and Melva Halley; and siblings Ruth (Wayne) Morrow and Doris (Hal) Gilmore. Bob is survived by his partner, Alice Coleman; six children, Candace (Tom) Tolson, Crystal Halley, Cynthia (Jim) Venditte, Thomas (Deborah) Halley, Robin (Connell) McCole, Brenda Halley, and “adopted” Cynthia Shipley; five grandchildren, Shannon (Aaron) Christman, Jade (Joe) Venditte-Page, Halley (Derek) Henry, Tylla Halley, and McKenzie Halley; and five great grandchildren, Nathan Asmus, Candace Asmus, Johanna Venditte-Page, Beckett Venditte-Page and Jameson Henry.

Please join us for a celebration of a life well lived. A visitation and memorial service honoring Robert T. Halley will be held Friday, April 20, 2018 at Saint Matthias Episcopal Church, 3301 St. Matthias Dr., Shreveport, LA, 71119. Visitation will be in the church narthex at 10:30 am followed by an 11:30 am memorial service. Immediately after the memorial service, Bob will be laid to rest with full military honors at 1:45 pm at the Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery, 7970 Mike Clarke Road, Keithville, LA, 71047. An Irish wake will follow at Bob’s house on Cross Lake, 1416 Cross Lake Circle.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Legion Lowe-McFarlane Post No. 14 (http://www.lowemcfarlanepost14.org/), to St. Matthias Church (https://saint-matthias.com/donations-2/), or to the American Heart Association.