Robert’s Obituary In the 6th month of his 100th year, Robert J. (Bob) Halcro, a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, January 24th, 2019. Bob was born in Montreal, Canada, the second of five children. His father died when he was six years old and his mother and all the children returned to her family home in Rhode Island.
Ever the adventurer, Bob traveled to Germany as a cabin boy on a liner when he was fifteen. Returning to school he had to write the inevitable “What I did during summer vacation”. He wrote that he was in Germany and there were men in uniform everywhere.
He wrote it was very frightening and that he knew there would soon be a war as the Germans were spoiling for a fight. The teacher read the paper, told Bob that he had served in World War I, the war to end all wars, and that there would NEVER be another war and tore the paper up. Bob related “As I sat in a foxhole in New Guinea for months with bullets whizzing over my head, I often thought about that teacher!
” Bob served in the U.S. Air Force from June 1941 through Sept. 30,1945 in four Asia Pacific Theatre of War Campaigns and was with the landing of General MacArthur when he reentered the Philippines. He received the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal and eight bronze stars, as well as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Emblem and other World War II medals.
He received his separation from the Air Force in Manila, P.I. along with several other Americans and started a business. In 1947 he married Blanca Guzman with whom he had two daughters, Victoria and Pauline. They later moved to San Francisco but the marriage ended in 1951.
Bob had established a business in Alaska and in 1955 Bob married Barbara Brady and they spent their honeymoon in Anchorage opening an office in what was then known as the 1200 L Building – now the Inlet Towers. In 2016, they celebrated with their fellow AVIS employee-owners, sixty years of operation throughout Alaska. Over the years Bob established many businesses including Avis Rent a Car in Guam and Saipan, Windjammer Cruises in Hawaii and Guam and The Great Land Investment Company and Alaska Parking Company in Alaska.
Always very civic-minded, Bob was a past director of the Unification Committee, Anchorage, Chairman Emeritus of Hope Cottage Foundation (now Hope Community Res, Inc.), Director Emeritus & Past V.P.- Coast Guard Foundation, Life Member of Rotary Club of Anchorage, SKAL Club, American Assn of the Philippines, Navy League and others. He was active in the Republican Party and was named Republican Man of the Year in 1992. Bob leaves behind to miss him terribly his wife Barbara, daughters Victoria Adams, Pauline Hurst, Mary E. Halcro, Roberta Inglis (Andrew), Margaret Beach (Ron) and son Andrew J. Halcro (Vicki), eighteen grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father Andrew J. and Rella Mae (Sauve) Halcro, daughter Stephanie F. Halcro, brothers Lawrence, Horace and Russell Halcro and sister Mary Rella (Halcro) Heil. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Benedict Catholic Church on Saturday, February 16th, with a rosary at 10:OOAM and Mass beginning at 10:30AM. Burial will be in California in May.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to Hope Cottage, St. Benedict Church or a charitable organization of your choice. The family wishes to thank Maria, Najma, as well as the Providence Home Health and Hospice Teams for their wonderful, caring, professional help during the past nine months.
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