Robert E. Mccreanor

Robert Edwin McCreanor died at his home in Narragansett, Rhode Island on November 21. He was 82 years old.

Born on June 24, 1942 in the coal mining town of Glouster, Ohio to Robert William McCreanor and Agnes (nee Vessalo) McCreanor, he lived for much of his early childhood with his paternal grandparents, John McCreanor (also known as “Stretchy” and “Hogan”) and Augusta “Gusty” McCreanor. His grandmother favored him, and he adored his grandfather, ever after recalling Hogan’s penchant for practical humor and stretching the truth. In 1948, as a six year old, he waved, running across a field, to President Harry Truman as the candidate passed by on the last whistle stop campaign.

After his father returned from service in WWII and completed journalism studies, the family eventually moved to Narragansett, RI. Awed by the ocean, young Bobby would walk down to the sea wall after school every day and explore the shoreline. He was a good youth baseball player, cheered for Ted Williams and remained a lifelong baseball fan. Beginning in his teens, he was an ocean lifeguard. He worked at beaches in Rhode Island and Florida.

Bob had wanderlust and enjoyed a long period of adventure in his life, travelling across the country, frequently hitchhiking, and living for periods on the East Coast of Florida and California. He tended bar for many years, serving drinks, drinking plenty himself and making colorful friends from Providence to Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere. He developed a love for jazz music and attended many great live performances. Together, he and his father listened to Sydney Bechet at the Newport Jazz Festival. He saw Count Basie and his band play up close and would later enjoy many nights of Darryl Sherman’s singing.

While bartending at the Surf Club, then located across the street from Narragansett Town Beach, he saw a young woman walk in and pronounced that he would marry her. Barbara (nee Van Etten) McCreanor became his wife of 53 years. They had two children, Erica Lee and Robert David, and settled in Cornwall, NY. Bob bartended in the area and was then employed as a chemical operator in Harriman, NY for twenty years. He was a union member and supported workers’ rights, racial justice and civil liberties.

Bob loved to cook and eat food of all kinds, from bluefish and clams to chilidogs and Indian pudding. He made homemade chicken nuggets and French fries for his family and all the neighborhood kids.

With his wife and children, Bob vacationed at the beach. He was a strong swimmer and would regularly go the distance from Sand Hill Cove to Galilee and back in the Harbor of Refuge, while his kids played in the sand and waited for him to return. Several times, he took his family to the Florida Keys, driving the station wagon all the way from New York.

In retirement, Bob and Barbara travelled widely including to Europe, Egypt, India and China. His favorite destinations were the Orkney and Shetland Islands where they arrived by a small airplane, stayed on the waterfront and ate their breakfast oatmeal with whiskey.

Bob’s last years were often tough, but he found great joy in his grandchildren, Grace Agnes McCreanor and John Augustus McCreanor.

His dry wit and sometimes ornery temper will be dearly missed by his family.

His brother Daniel predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, two children, Erica and Robert (Erica Coleman) and his two grandchildren Grace and Jack. Bob’s family expresses their gratitude to his caregivers, especially Josh Sullivan, who helped make it possible for him to stay in his home.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 8 am on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 864 Point Judith Rd., Narragansett, RI. Friends are invited to visit Bob’s family’s home following the service.