Douglas William Robert

August 18, 1943 - October 19, 2017

Douglas W. Robert, 74 died peacefully Thursday, October 19, 2017 at the Rensselaer Care Center after a year long slow health decline. He was the only son of the late Nelson and Lorraine Robert and will be missed by many who knew him as a friend and who seen him doing his daily 2-3 mile walks, rain or shine, and eating lunch at the senior center. During his childhood, Doug lived in many areas of the country due to his father's government job and grew to love traveling. He attended Indiana State University and earned both his bachelors and masters degrees there before he moved to Michigan to become an elementary school teacher, realtor, world traveler, and later a senior trip advisor at several senior centers there. When Doug's mother became ill, he moved back to Rensselaer to care for her. Doug's favorite hobbies were reading and traveling. He usually read 1-2 historical books each week and kept current on politics, world events, and happenings around town. Doug was a very independent, opinionated, and friendly fighter for the underdog in life, always willing to help whenever he could. Last year Doug celebrated his 60th cruise vacation by going to Alaska, taking pictures and adding them to his extensive collections of other trips around the world. In accordance to his wishes, there will be no services, Doug will be cremated and places with his family members at the family's original plot at Riverside Cemetery. Special thanks to the Rensselaer Care Center for their special care, to Gayla Warran his faithful neighbor, travel companions and best friends: Ernie Stewart and Harold Kamie in Michigan, and many others he knew.