Robert Altman Sphar

Robert Altman Sphar Obituary Robert Sphar, 86, of Salem, Virginia, formerly of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 22, 2024. Born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1937, to the late Walter and Iva Sphar, he is also preceded in death by a brother, Clayton Sphar, and his wife of 66 years, Donna Jean Tomko Sphar. Bob attended elementary and high school in Peters Township, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in 1959 with a degree in physics and mathematics. He participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corp and upon graduation served two years in the Army conducting radio surveillance at the National Security Agency. After his service, Bob worked as a quality engineer for Eveready Batteries until his retirement in 1997. Bob was a caring husband and father who devoted himself to the welfare of his family. He was a talented wood worker and furniture maker, and do-it-yourself home electrician, plumber, and all-around handyman. A man of constant curiosity, he had a wide range of interests over the years. An early subscriber to Mother Earth News, he took up gardening, canning, beekeeping, wine-making, wood burning stove construction, and many other hobbies. If it caught his interest, we would research it and participate to the fullest. Perhaps his most impactful interest was his love of camping in the outdoors, which he imparted to his family. His love of the natural wilderness started as day hikes in Potter County, Pennsylvania, and grew to camping and backpacking in the Rocky Mountains and canoeing and fishing in wild Canadian lakes. In retirement, he and Jean traveled across the country with their fifth wheel camper visiting relatives and seeing the sights.Bob loved his community. He was a member of Olmsted Community Church for over 50 years, serving on the board and various committees. He and his wife Jean hosted international high school students through the American Field Service. He was creative, as a writer and producer for many years of the Olmsted Falls Kiwanis Show, a night of skits, mischief, some talent, but mostly good-humored laughs at the expense of the participants. Those left to cherish his memory are his sons, William C. Sphar and wife, Anne, and Steven Sphar and wife, Linda McAtee, and grandchildren, Colin Sphar and Shannon Sphar.