Robert W. Thomson

Robert W. Thomson, November 9, 1941 - August 12, 2024

Robert William Thomson was born on November 9, 1941 in Collingswood, New Jersey to Al and Betty Thomson. He was a three-pound preemie who had to be fed with an eye dropper, but he cleared life’s first hurdle with the strength and spirit that would characterize the rest of his life.

He spent a happy childhood with younger siblings Dave, Doug, and Meg, along with cousins who lived nearby. He made pea shooters out of reeds, played stickball in the street, and ate candy that is now found only in specialty stores. He did well in school, with the notable exception of woodshop, which remained a source of amusement for the entire family whenever it came time to assemble or repair something.

Bob married his high school sweetheart, Bette Jeanne, on December 28, 1963. Every Valentine’s Day, he gave her a rose for each year they’d been married. The blooms’ increasing abundance was a marker not only of years, but of a love that deepened and flourished through joys and trials.

Bob graduated from Florida State University with a degree in International Relations, and attended Rutgers University School of Law. He finished first in his class, despite working multiple part-time jobs on top of his studies to support his wife and two young sons. He began his career in the then-new field of environmental law, and his work took him to coal mines, landfills, chemical plants, farms, steel mills, and foundries - all of which he found fascinating. One of his favorite professional experiences was advocating successfully for a Swiss immigrant cheese maker and nearby Amish dairy farmers who were on the verge of losing their livelihoods.

He never cited such honors as being recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s best lawyers or being ranked among Pennsylvania’s top environmental attorneys; that type of recognition didn’t matter much to him. What he cared most about was how he did his work. He developed a reputation for scrupulous integrity, refusing to engage in unethical billing practices or deal dishonestly with clients or opponents. This made some of his employers unhappy, but it made his clients fiercely loyal. Many followed him anywhere he moved.

Bob loved his work, but loved his family more. Bob and Bette had four sons and one daughter, and both parents made clear in word and deed that family came first. Bob was home for dinner every night. He played wiffle ball in the backyard, read stories at bedtime, and attended every game, recital, and performance. He drove the family station wagon on cross-country camping trips that remain cherished memories, despite the occasional flooded tent and or squabble for elbow room in the backseat. He climbed trees and boulders, took “long cuts” and the less worn trail, always assuming that the best would happen, not the worst. He remained active and adventurous as a grandparent as well, camping just a few days before he died with his son Dan and five of his grandchildren.

The impetus for most everything that Bob did was his faith. It drove his desire for justice, his willingness to sacrifice personal gain for time with family, his generosity toward those in need, and his ability to love and befriend people who did not think as he did. His faith undergirded an unwavering attitude of hope and thankfulness, which was nowhere so brilliantly displayed as in his walk through a painful and prolonged battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Through chemotherapy, radiation, spinal taps, a stem cell transplant, bouts of graft-vs-host that attacked his heart, liver, skin, and muscles; through wasting disease that reduced him to 113 lbs and left him too weak to make a fist; through sleeplessness and mouth sores and the constant threat of death - Bob remained hopeful. He was kind to his doctors and nurses. He joked about their willingness to treat a lawyer and about the striking lack of pets found on a PET scan. He took joy in learning about cancer, and he marveled at the technology involved in his care.

Bob lived nearly twenty years after his transplant, and was able to return to his active, adventurous ways. Best of all, though, he used those years to share what he considered invaluable lessons that he had learned from having cancer. He spoke at churches, at Christian Legal Society events, and he reached out to anyone - friend or stranger - who was battling cancer and needed encouragement. He once wrote, “I am convinced that God got me through my experience so I could use it to comfort and encourage others.” He wasted no opportunity to do so.

Bob died of a heart attack, but that is not what we will remember of his heart. We will remember the heart that had room not just for his own children, but for so many others who needed a father figure. We will remember the heart ready to hang-glide on the beach, ride horses through Montana, and raft in the Grand Canyon. We will remember the heart that found the world so beautiful and intricate that boredom wasn’t possible.

On the occasion of being found cancer-free five years after his transplant, Bob wrote to friends and family,  “It seems that I have come to the end of a remarkable journey.” Indeed he has, and we are grateful to have walked alongside him.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Bette Jeanne; children Rob (Kinuko), Scott (Angela), Dan (Kim), Heather (Mike), and Greg; fifteen grandchildren; and siblings Dave, Doug, and Meg.

A service celebrating Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024:  West Hill Baptist Church, 605 N. Revere Road, Copley, OH 44333  11:00am, with lunch to follow

To access the livestream service, please follow this link: https://www.westhillbaptist.com/watch-now/#special-events

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Samaritan’s Purse.

Services in care of The Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory, Fairlawn Chapel 85 N Miller Road  Akron, OH  44333.