BOBBY LEE VEST Martinez, GA – Mr. Bobby Lee Vest, 66, died peacefully at home in Martinez, Georgia on May 19, 2019. He was born on January 16, 1953 to Catherine Peters Vest and Edward Thomas Vest. Bobby is survived by his wife and soul mate of 38 years, Suzanne Schoen Vest; sister Pamela Vest Burgering (Dave) of Coral Gables, FL; sister-in-law Lydia W. Schoen (Alan Sherrod) of Knoxville, TN; nephew Chris Mantilla (Sandra) and their children Owen and Olivia of Miami, FL; niece Alexandra Mantilla Van Romondt (Pauli) and their children Ethan and Ava, also of Coral Gables; many cousins in Virginia and across the country; and Smokey, his fur-baby.
He was predeceased by his parents; his in-laws, Victor Robert and Sallie Warth Schoen; and his half-brother Edward Thomas Vest Jr. (Mary Frances), and his fur-babies Regal and Nugget. Born in Richmond, Virginia, Bobby graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1970 and in 1974 earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA (Go Hokies! ).
His entire career was spent working for Westinghouse Electric Corporation or one of its affiliated companies. After a brief training period traveling to various Westinghouse sites throughout the eastern U.S., he settled in the Knoxville/Oak Ridge area to work at the Clinch River Breeder Reactor project; in 1979 he met Suzanne and they married in 1981. In 1984 the couple transferred to the Waltz Mill site in western Pennsylvania and they lived in Latrobe, PA.
Their final transfer was to the Augusta-Martinez area where Bobby worked at the Savannah River Site in Aiken SC, serving as a manager within the Chief Financial Officer organization. Bobby retired from SRS in 2012 at the age of 59. Bobby was the funniest accountant on earth with a very dry sense of humor.
He became a NAUI certified scuba diver at a very young age, and after Suzanne became PADI certified they loved diving together with the Emerald Sea Dive Club and took trips to Florida and Mexico. He and Suzanne purchased a vacation condo on Lake Oconee, Georgia and loved boating and trying to catch a fish. They cruised to almost every Caribbean island as well as the Hawaiian islands, Alaska and the northeast coast.
Their final cruise together was to Spain, Italy and France on the Mediterranean Sea. Bobby was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatments. Unfortunately, he was also diagnosed with the terminal disease of pulmonary fibrosis and entered into the care of Heartland Hospice.
Bobby loved music, especially Willie Nelson and Steely Dan. He also was (reluctantly) indoctrinated into the world of classical music by Suzanne and her family, although he never became an opera lover! Throughout their marriage, they attended many jazz concerts, R&B, country, rock ‘n roll, as well as symphonic, operatic and choral performances.
A service will be held at Thomas Poteet and Son Funeral Home, on Saturday June 8, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. with Rev. Philip Hedgecoth officiating. A reception with refreshments will be held afterwards in the Garden Lobby of the funeral home.
Burial will take place at a later date in Maryville, TN. Memorial contributions may be made to Molly’s Militia, Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 6816, North Augusta, SC 29861, www. mollysmilitia.org.
Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd. , Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.
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