Robert Edward Walkling Jr.

A loving husband and father, Robert Edward Walkling, Jr. passed away quietly at his home, March 24, 2017. He is survived by Joan, his wife of 62 years, his three children and his six grandchildren. Robert (“Bob” to friends and family) was born in Brooklyn, New York. Despite having a flair for the rebellious in his youth, after graduating Newtown High School he joined the U.S. Air Force, and served from 1951 to 1955, much of that time at Wheelus Field in Libya as an aircraft mechanic. Prior to enlisting to serve his country, Robert met Joan Dehler, also a student at Newtown. Following his return from Libya, Honorably Discharged, Mr. Walkling married Ms. Dehler in 1954.  They honeymooned in California at Pike’s Peak, getting there via the legendary Route 66.  They then spent his last year in the Air Force at Travis AFB in Fairfield, California.  They moved to Florida in 1955 where they first had a house in Broadview Park, then moving shortly thereafter to a home that was being built for them in Plantation. Robert spent his entire life in Plantation, literally two years after its founding. He raised his children there and was an involved father with them in everything from baseball to scouts while he worked for Southern Bell, from where he retired after 30 years. Following that he worked for American Express from where he also retired, officially making him a “double dipper.”  After two retirements, two heart attacks and a cancer diagnosis, he nevertheless soldiered on through all of it, devoting much of his later years to spending time with his children and grandchildren. In Robert’s early years he enjoyed fishing, shooting, bowling and coin collecting as well as baseball, cub scouts, girl scouts and boy scouts with his children. Later on, perhaps having been inspired by Roots or his cousin Bill (who had written a book on the subject) he and Joan began researching the Walkling family genealogy. For more than a decade they immersed themselves in it, traveling all over the United States and Europe together, spending extended periods in England, Germany and Hungary among other places, for both pleasure and research. More locally he spent time tinkering with cars as a mechanic, becoming involved with his church and spending what many might consider too much time at the Plantation Diner and CJs pizzeria! But wherever “Bob” went, you could tell he was a welcome sight. His regular locales were always populated with folks glad to see him.