Robert Gantt Obituary, Death – Robert J. Gantt passed away quietly. His family members, including all of his children, were all around him. He was the first of three children born to Johnnie Gantt and Comena Brown Gantt in Columbia, South Carolina. He was a big brother to all of his cousins, who adored him. His family later relocated to Harlem, New York. Bob joined the Army after finishing high school and enjoyed a prosperous career as a petroleum chemist. He was able to tour the world in the 1950s as an African American man, visiting Paris, Germany, Spain, and the US. Bob wasn’t going to let anything stop him from breaking down any barriers. Bob briefly performed with a Doo Wop group that subsequently became the Cadillacs.
Following his time in the Army, Bob married Barbara Rogers in Harlem and went on to pursue a career in corrections. Wayne and Karen’s parents, Bob and Barbara, moved to the Hudson Valley from Harlem in search of a better life for their two young children. Rob and Robyn were the second and third children that Bob and Barbara had. Bob spent almost 40 years working as a nurse and nurse manager, primarily at Castle Point VA, and earned a master’s degree in nursing with a focus on geriatrics.
There are also two daughters, Karen Gantt of Farmington, Connecticut, and Robyn Hardy (Anthony Hardy) of Georgia, two sons, Wayne Gantt (Michele Riddle) of Waterviliet, New York, and Robert R. Gantt of Niskayuna, two daughters, and four grandchildren, as well as a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Bob’s wife Barbara, sister Doris Gantt, and brother James Gantt before him in death. A graveside funeral for Mr. Gantt will be held in Fishkill Rural Cemetery, 801 US-9, Fishkill, NY 12524, on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. with full military honors. Rhodes Funeral Home, 43 Fairview Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York, will provide a professional service. Call us at any time at 845-452-2894 or 452-6143 if you’re “Committed To Being The Very Best.”
