Obit: Robert Hess ... enjoyed singing

ROCHESTER - Robert Hess, 93, formerly of Madison Ave. in Rochester, died Thursday, December 19, 2013, at the St. Ann's Home in Dover. Mr. Hess lived in Rochester for 29 years after moving from Bethlehem, Pa.

Born in Elizabeth, N.J., he was the son of the late Harry and Martha Hess. He graduated from Irvington (NY) High School and New York University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and was a Professional Engineer.

He was a Lieutenant in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II, and was a Mechanical Engineer for 35 years for Bethlehem Steel Corp., retiring in 1982. He was a member of the First Parish Church UCC in Somersworth, and the Military Officers Association NH Chapter. Bob volunteered over 4000 hours at Frisbie Memorial Hospital, and for the Rochester Opera House.

Music was central to his life from the age of 15 and he was a 30 year member of the Bethlehem Bach Choir. His strong baritone voice could be heard in the Saucon Valley Male Chorus, the First Presbyterian Church Choir of Bethlehem, and the Rockingham Choral Society, and many other local choruses and choirs. Most recently he portrayed the Cowardly Lion in 2012 at the Maple Suites' (Dover) production of the Wizard of Oz. He enjoyed volunteering, gardening, tennis, and coaching Little League Baseball and will be remembered for his sense of humor and fractured German. A tireless optimist, and forever in a good mood, he was a role model in the true sense, was loved and will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

He was predeceased in 2009 by his wife of 64 years, Ada L. Hess.

Members of his family include his daughter Roberta (Bobbie) Goodrich and her husband Frederick of Sanbornville, NH; his daughter Madeline Olson, of Sacramento, Calif.; four grandchildren: Stephanie Harpring of Bow, N.H., Gregory Goodrich, of Manchester, N.H., Edward Olson and Jennifer Olson, both of Sacramento, Calif., and two great-grandchildren.