Robert J. Pushaw, Sr. passed away on February 16, 2019. Born on March 1, 1931 in Camden, Maine to Harry Lamont and Vivian Irene (née Van Sickle) Pushaw, Robert grew up on a farm in nearby Hope. His father was a blueberry farmer and stone mason, his mother a mill worker at Knox Woolen Mill.
Robert had an unusual education. His grade school was a one-room schoolhouse, from which he graduated two years early, at age 12, by eavesdropping on the more advanced lessons of senior classmates. He attended Camden High School, where aside from academics, his favorite pastimes were music, baseball, and pool.
A trumpet player in the school band, Robert had a great love of swing music that continued past high school when he played in a dance band to finance his college education. In 1947, he graduated with high honors from Camden High and went on to attend the University of Maine, where he received a B. S. in Chemical Engineering. Upon his graduation in 1951, he worked for Dupont Chemical Company in Gibbstown, New Jersey.
Robert served during the Korean War at the Army Chemical Center, working with a team of scientists to develop antidotes to chemical weapons. It was during this time that he met his wife, Mary deFrancesco, whom he married in 1954. His career as a chemical engineer spanned many decades, primarily as an independent consultant working with coating lines and non-woven fabrics.
He was also an inventor who patented several interesting products, including a breathable wound dressing and a fabric that reacts to changes in body temperature. He was inducted into the NASA Engineering Hall of Fame for his work on spaceship heat shields. Robert was predeceased by his wife, Mary deFrancesco Pushaw, and his brother-in-law, John deFrancesco.
He is survived by his children: Mary Anne Pushaw, Karen Pushaw, Cynthia Reeves (Douglas), Robert J. Pushaw, Jr. (Patricia), and Christopher Pushaw; six grandchildren: Erik Formica (Elizabeth), Elizabeth and Christopher Reeves, and Christina, Stephanie, and Carolyn Pushaw; and three great-grandchildren: Madison, Riley, and Michael Formica. Family and friends may call Saturday, February 23 at St. John Neumann Church, 380 Highland Lane, Bryn Mawr from 9:30 AM to 10:15 AM. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 AM in the church.
Interment will take place at St. Denis Cemetery, 2401 St. Denis Lane, Havertown immediately following the Mass. In lieu of flowers, donations in Robert’s memory may be made to Pennsylvanians for Human Life, 590 Snyder Ave, Suite 201, West Chester, PA 19382 or the St. Francis Inn, PO Box 3746, Philadelphia, PA 19125.
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