Robert Russell Rath, 82, former resident of Maple Heights, Ohio, and a resident of Lillian, died Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 in a Phoenix hospital.
He was born Aug. 30, 1926 in Cleveland Ohio to Louis Rath and Ruth Elizabeth Barnekow Rath.
He proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
He lived in Maple Heights, Ohio for 66 years, where he dedicated his life in serving as captain of the Maple Heights Fire Department, until moving to Lillian.
His commitment to the fire department led him to teach the volunteer departments in Twinsburg, Bainbridge, Lyndhurst and many other rural cities of Cleveland.
He and his wife moved to Lillian, where they resided for 16 years. He was a very active member in the First Baptist Church of Lillian. He was a dedicated member of the Masonic Lodge 925 for over 50 years. He enjoyed the Lillian community and devoted many hours of service to vision of the community.
Survivors include his beloved wife of 56 years, Kathleen Nicholas Rath; three children, David (Christy) Rath of Amman, Jordan, Bill (Linda) Rath of Gilbert, Ariz., and Christine (Randy) Stilwell of Katy, Texas; and eight grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27 at the First Baptist Church of Lillian with Pastor Dennis “Butch” Brown officiating.
The family requests memorial donations be made to the Katy Special Olympics Booster Club c/o Special Olympics of Texas, 10700 Northwest Freeway Suite 101, Houston, TX 77092.
