Robert Donald Fallon, 73

Bob Fallon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2004. He dealt with his disease successfully for many years but developed pneumonia and passed away Dec 5, 2024. Bob was on hospice care at Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE, and Janet, Dan and Doug were with him for the last days of his life. We miss him.

Bob was born February 19, 1951, in New Rochelle, NY to Robert Livingston Fallon and June McGeachin Fallon. He was a loving and adored husband, big brother, dad, and granddad. He is survived by his wife and best friend of 50 years, Janet Gayler Fallon, his sons Daniel (Sienna) of Kensington, Maryland and Douglas (Kathleen) of Washington DC, his granddaughters Piper and Wren of Kensington, and Cecily and Elliott of Washington. He is also survived by his sister, Barbara Shadwick (John), brother Scott Fallon, brother Don Fallon (Sandy) and brother-in-law Winston Gayler, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bob grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, graduating from Rye Neck High School. He fished with his dad and brothers and sailed his Sunfish all over Long Island Sound. He surfed at Montauk on Long Island and was a lifeguard and swim team member at Harbor Island in Mamaroneck. He used to tell his boys about waves lifting him over the lane lines when he swam backstroke at meets.

Bob and Janet met at Cornell University (waiting in line for hockey tickets). Cornell was football games and hockey games and hiking in the gorges. But mostly it was labs, (harvesting fruit flies at all hours), more labs, problem sets, and lots of studying. Bob and Janet graduated in 1973 – Bob graduated with distinction – and were married in 1974. Bob received a Master’s degree from the University of North Carolina’s Department of Marine Sciences in1975. He did fieldwork at the marine institute in Morehead City (sampling Spartina in the marsh, but also shrimp boils, Sanitary Fish Market, and Captain Bill’s for the best hush puppies).Then Bob and Janet were off to Madison, Wisconsin where Bob earned a PhD in 1978 from the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin under Dr. Tom Brock. Bob studied Lake Mendota and his work is still being cited in papers today. The PhD years were a wonderful mix of work and play, making lifelong friendships. Bob and Janet bought their first canoe and camped and paddled all over Wisconsin (lots of memories with Tim and Nancy), cross country skied and enjoyed grad student life – Babcock ice cream and yoghurt, brats, and alcoholic beverages! After graduation, Bob taught introductory microbiology at the University for a semester.

From 1979 to 1981 Bob was a post doc at DuPont’s Savannah River Lab in Aiken, South Carolina where he studied Tritium transport at the nuclear facility. Bob also found the time to teach an introductory microbiology class at nearby Augusta College. Bob and Janet continued to enjoy camping and paddling, and bought their first sailboat, a Sunfish.

In 1981 they moved to Sapelo Island, GA for Bob to begin six years of Research at the University of Georgia’s Marine Institute. Sapelo was a renowned center of Marine studies, only accessible by boat. Bob’s research involved lab work, sampling from small boats, and scuba diving to sample from the ocean floor. The researchers at the Institute formed a tight bond. There were Thanksgiving dinners at the Reynolds Mansion (the Big House) and numerous pot lucks. In fact, the pot luck dinner was a competitive sport, with extra praise if you grew, gathered or caught your offering yourself. Bob and Janet enjoyed the outdoor opportunities, tending a large vegetable garden, casting for shrimp and mullet, setting out crab traps, and spending time at Nanny Goat Beach with their boys. Daniel was born in 1982 and Doug in 1985. Both births required nighttime small boat trips to the mainland. When Doug was born, just before Christmas, there was no one at the Institute (except Bob) who was comfortable taking the Sea Ox to the mainland at night so they made the crossing alone. This entailed 7-miles on the Duplin River and Doboy Sound to Meridian, GA and then a 30-minute drive to Brunswick, GA. Doug was born 20 minutes after his parents arrived at the hospital. When Bob in later years would be frustrated or depressed over limitations caused by his Parkinson’s, Janet could always remind him that he was still her hero for getting her to the hospital on time!

The family moved to Elkton, MD in 1987 where Bob continued his 30-year career with DuPont. He studied Cyanide degradation among other environmentally oriented projects. His last project at DuPont was the Microbially Enhanced Oil Reclamation program. The MEOR group of scientists was another source of close long-lasting friends. Bob had over 50 patents while at DuPont. He was a member of the American Society of Microbiology and the Association of Limnology and Oceanography. While at DuPont Bob judged science fairs in Philadelphia and enjoyed talking to those students about their projects.

Bob was very active with his sons. He was a Cub and Boy Scout leader and attended many campouts and canoe trips with the scouts and with Wilmington Trail Club. He officiated at swim meets, helped with science fair projects, and participated in school science nights.

The family loved water-oriented vacations, rafting the Yough and the Hudson Gorge, and the Rouge River in Quebec. Vacations frequently involved two canoes on the roof of their van with the Sunfish trailing behind. One memorable family adventure was bareboat chartering a 32 ft Nordic Tug to cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage. There were plenty of wildlife sightings including a humpbacked whale that swam right under the boat. Another of Bob’s favorite vacations was a week in Paris where he and Janet stayed on a retired Dutch potato barge. It had been converted into a houseboat and was moored on the Seine with a beautiful view of Notre Dame. Bob’s goal for the trip was to sit on the top deck with wine and cheese and a baguette and watch the tourists go by in bateaux-mouches.

Bob and Janet purchased their second sailboat, a Pearson 34 sloop, in 2011 and cruised the Chesapeake Bay on weekends and vacations. After Bob retired in 2014, he and Janet took Kahlua from Baltimore down the Intercoastal Waterway to Cape Coral, FL. Bob was walking with a cane by then which earned him some double takes at marinas when he exited his sailboat leaning on his cane. Bob really enjoyed anchoring out overnight. Since a sailboat is equipped with lots of handholds, Bob was safer on the boat than walking on a floating dock. Bob’s favorite part was the food! They had lots of shrimp fresh off a shrimp boat. The trip was a bucket list success.

Eventually Kahlua was sold. This gave the fond Granddad time to dote on his granddaughters. They were a wonderful antidote to Parkinson’s. Bob also took time for himself and his Parkinson’s battle, attending Rock Steady Boxing classes, a speech therapy zoom class and enjoying his membership in the Upper Chesapeake Literary Society (his zoom book club- thank you Kevin, Holcomb, Sam, Bill, and the Toms for keeping him reading!).

Bob was a serious scientist – he loved taking a question that needed an answer and devising the correct way to find that answer.  But he could be a goofy Dad and Granddad. He perfected the Bobsled – Bob sliding down the stairs on his stomach with one or two children clinging to his back. He loved making funny faces, playing peek a boo, and singing Itsy Bitsy Spider with his granddaughters.

Last August Bob and Janet celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary with their neighbors. These neighbors have been supportive, loyal friends during the ups and downs of Bob’s Parkinsons. Bob was so grateful to have them in his life. He was also thankful for Mandy and Katie at Rock Steady, Julie at University of Delaware’s Speak Out program, Tim at Neuro Fitness, Dr Daniel Kremens at Jefferson Hospital, Dr Gordon Baltuch at Pennsylvania Hospital, Dr Katrin Heineman and Dr. Roseanne Dobkin.

Bob’s favorite movie was The Blues Brothers, with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation a close second. He enjoyed reading Russian Literature, Stephen King novels, and the poems of Robert Service. His favorite book was Life of Pi. He liked watching Perry Mason reruns and history and science documentaries.

Bob will be missed by many and remembered for his kindness, intelligence, strength, and courage. He displayed these characteristics in everyday life, and especially in his battle with Parkinson’s over the years.

If you want to remember Bob with a donation, please consider the Michael J Fox Foundation or American Whitewater.

A celebration of life will be held at the Newark Country Club at 300 West Main St, Newark, DE on Sunday, June 1. The celebration will start at 3pm with socializing and hors d’oeuvres followed by a formal presentation at 4pm.

Arrangements made by R.T. Foard and Jones Funeral Directors and Crematory, 122 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19711.