Mr. Robert W. Shoemaker Jr.

After a full life of giving, serving, learning, traveling, and loving, Robert W. Shoemaker, Jr. “Bob” passed away peacefully on December 20, 2022 at the age of 101 years and 2 1/2 months. The only child of Robert W. Shoemaker, Sr. (1898-1968) and Irene English Shoemaker (1900-1988), Bob was born on October 3, 1921, in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and moved to Anderson in 1935. Following his time in college, graduate school, and the United States Navy, he chose to reside, build a business, serve the community, and raise his family in Anderson.

Bob was predeceased in January 2018 by his beloved wife of almost 68 years, Mary Ann (Gephardt). He is survived by four children: Robert III of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Ann of Anderson; Sara (husband, Bran) McFarland of Fishers and North Webster; and Janet (husband, Mark) Rutan of Lafayette and Cicero. Also surviving are ten grandchildren and spouses: Jarrod (Alicia) Shoemaker, Jenna Parker, Martha (Alan) Murphy, Jacob (Julia) Shoemaker. Danielle (Sam) Willis, Alexander (Tiffany) Smith, Reed (Miriam) Smith, Neil (Erin) Rutan, Craig (Kara) Rutan, and Luke (Keely) Rutan. His eleven great-grandchildren are Finn and Parker Murphy; Elliott Willis; London and Livia Smith; Scarlett, Elias, and Malachi Smith; and Nolan, Norah, and Claire Rutan. In addition, Bob leaves behind two nieces and three nephews, as well as several cousins. His beloved son-in-law Jeffrey Smith (Sara) tragically died in 2015.

After graduating from Anderson High School in 1939, Bob traveled east to attend Harvard College with the Class of 1943. Due to an interruption for World War II military service and related changes in educational programs, he earned two graduate degrees from Harvard Business School (Class of 1947), including an MBA, before receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government from Harvard College in 1947. While at Harvard, Bob enjoyed rowing lightweight crew and House crew for several years and volunteering with the college radio station WHRB. After graduation, he attended college class reunions regularly, assisted the Admissions Office by interviewing central Indiana applicants for many years, and maintained life-long friendships with many classmates.

Bob was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1942 and attended officers’ training programs in the Bronx, NY, and Washington, D.C, before being assigned to the Naval Mine Warfare Test Station at Solomons Island, MD, where he served as Naval personnel officer. After requesting a shipboard assignment, Bob was transferred to the Pacific for duty aboard the escort aircraft carrier U.S.S. Corregidor (CVE-58) as Lieutenant Junior Grade and Signal Officer until the ship’s decommissioning after the war in 1946. Following his return to Anderson in 1947, Bob remained active in the U.S. Naval Reserve Division 9-31, commanded by Tom McMahan, who was later Mayor of Anderson. His reserve duty ended in December 1951 at the rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade and Division Commanding Officer.

In 1949, Bob and his parents purchased Short Printing, Inc., then located on 20^th Street near Fairview Street. He successfully operated the business as President for almost five decades, which included building a larger new facility on Madison Avenue in 1961 and changing the name to Business Printing, Inc. He retired and sold the business in 2000.

Guided by a kind heart, a generous spirit, and a desire to improve any organization in which he participated. Bob became actively involved in community service following his 1947 return to Anderson. Perhaps the seeds were planted during his youth as a Boy Scout. While attending the 1937 National Boy Scout Jamboree in Washington DC, Bob received his Eagle Scout award and then sailed overseas to participate in the 1937 World Jamboree in the Netherlands and to travel around Europe. Later, after Harvard and the Navy, Bob became Scoutmaster of a local troop in Anderson and Skipper of a Sea Scout ship. He progressed to hold a variety of district and council leadership positions in Scouting over many years and in 1963 was honored with the Silver Beaver Award for distinguished service to Scouting as an adult leader.

Bob obtained his amateur radio license in 1946 with call sign W9MTU and enjoyed communicating with his father on road trips and with other “hams” around the world. As a result of that hobby, he was asked in 1952 to organize amateur radio communications for the Madison County Civil Defense, which led to his appointment as County Civil Defense Director, a position he held for 12 years. This period witnessed rising tensions with the Soviet Union and the threat of nuclear attacks, including the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. As CD Director, Bob gave many educational slide presentations regarding proper preparations in the face of nuclear threats, oversaw the selection and stocking of emergency fallout shelters throughout the county, and helped organize the conversion of the old Lindbergh School north of town into a CD emergency command headquarters. His slide show included photos taken in his capacity as an official observer at the Yucca Flats, Nevada nuclear test in 1955. Later Bob was invited by NASA to Cape Canaveral to observe the launch of Apollo 8, which carried astronauts into orbit around the moon for the first time, and the Apollo 15 moon mission launch.

Bob’s volunteer contributions also included active involvement in the local business community. He served eight years as a Director of the Indiana Manufacturers Association, Chairman of the IMA Insurance Committee, Vice-President of the Anderson Chamber of Commerce, and Director and Treasurer of the Anderson YMCA. In 1955, the Junior Chamber of Commerce honored him as Anderson’s Young Man of the Year. For 20 years, Bob served as a Director of First Savings and Loan Association of Central Indiana, and for the last several years, he acted as Chairman of the Board. A long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church of Anderson, Bob served as an Elder, a member of the Whitewater Valley Presbytery Council, and President and Vice-President of the Presbytery. He also wrote and published a pictorial history of the First Presbyterian Church for the 150^th anniversary commemoration in 2001.

For more than 70 years, the major volunteer beneficiary of Bob’s time, talent, and energy was Rotary International (“RI”). Following his induction as member of the Anderson Rotary Club in 1948, he took on a variety of roles, and for one 60-year period, he maintained perfect attendance. As the Club’s first history chairman, Bob produced a publication in 1963 that included photos of every Club member over the years. While Club President in 1965-66, he organized the first Interact Club for high school students and soon thereafter chaired the 50^th Anniversary Committee in 1967-68. That effort resulted in an updated bound history and two celebratory dinners with special speakers, one involving Herb Taylor, past President of RI and author of the Four-Way Test, and one with NASA astronaut Al Worden, who later flew on Apollo 15.

In 1970-71, Bob was asked to serve as the Rotary District’s first Youth Exchange Officer, which required him to organize a program from scratch. The following year he served as District Governor, overseeing the creation of the first District Directory, the chartering of the first new club in the district in 15 years, the first seminar for incoming Club Presidents, and a program to encourage Paul Harris Fellows, a fund-raising initiative honoring the founder of Rotary’s first club. In early 1972 Bob and seven other District Governors met to form the Central States Youth Exchange, and soon thereafter he began arranging student exchanges with South American nations. He became Chairman of CSYE in 1976, serving for 12 years, during which time the program expanded to include many more Rotary Clubs and Districts, the summer conference attendance rose to 1100, yearly exchanges increased to 325, additional bus tours were arranged for inbound students, and financial stability was achieved.

With this successful experience, Bob was asked to serve as Chairman of the International Youth Activities Committee during 1978-79 and then was elected as one of 17 RI Directors for 1979-81. Throughout the 1980’s, he chaired various RI and Zone committees coordinating youth activities, world service projects, volunteers in action, and special study groups. Three times Bob served on committees that nominated RI Presidents, and for ten years he chaired the committee that succeeded in bringing the RI Convention to Indianapolis in 1998. In addition, Bob has represented the District on the RI Council on Legislation three times, including the session that voted to allow female membership. Over time he has attended 21 International Conventions and 60 District Conferences, and he has represented the RI President at 25 District Conferences in seven countries. Primarily because of the opportunities available through his Rotary duties, Bob has traveled to 45 countries on five continents. During his Rotary travels, he and Mary Ann enjoyed the honor of meeting Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. In tribute to his efforts, Bob was honored with the Anderson Club’s Ideal of Service Award and “Rotarian of the Century” Award and was often referred to as “Mr. Rotary.”

Though Bob was devoted to service activities, family was always his priority, and he never seemed to be missing at the dinner table each evening. He organized many family vacation trips with Mary Ann and his children to various U.S. destinations. In particular, the annual August vacation week at Hunky Dory Farms Resort in Wisconsin was an extended family tradition for almost 50 years. Later in life, he and Mary Ann traveled regularly to participate in their children’s and grandchildren’s family events and enjoyed time at their home on Lake Webster in northern Indiana.

Bob’s mind remained sharp until the end, and his ability to recall people, places, events, and details from every era of his life was truly extraordinary. His curiosity and enthusiasm for learning new things, meeting new people, taking advantage of special opportunities, and traveling widely were contagious personality traits. “Always ask more questions” was one of his guiding principles. Toward that end, Bob devotedly remained connected to many friends and relatives throughout the world, primarily by written letter in his younger years and by e-mail as that service became available more recently. Among Bob’s hobbies and interests were amateur radio, fishing, rowing and canoeing, reading, history, and photography. Through slides, home movies, videos, and cell phone images, he (and his father before him) compiled a remarkable visual history of his life and the life of his family from the 1920’s to the current century. His many slides and movies taken during the 1937 Jamboree trips provide a fascinating glimpse of life in Washington DC and Europe before the tragic onset of World War II.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations may be directed to the Rotary Foundation to aid in its worldwide humanitarian efforts, 14280 Collection Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693 or to the Robert W. Shoemaker, Jr. Youth Exchange Scholarship Fund (c/o Joe Sawyer, Treasurer, Central States Rotary Youth Exchange, 222 S. Norton Street, Corunna MI 48817) to provide scholarships for financially needy inbound and outbound exchange students.

Burial was private.

A memorial service to celebrate Bob’s life will be at 1:00 PM Saturday, January 14, at Brown-Butz-Diedring Funeral Service & Crematory in Anderson.

Visitation will be from 11:00 AM until the time of services.

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