Robert 'Bob' Euler

Robert "Bob" Donald Euler, 93, a longtime resident of Waynesboro, Va., died Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 at Summit Square in Waynesboro.

Born Nov. 30, 1923, in Bellevue, Ohio, he was the son of the late Noah Daum and Blanche Vickery Euler. He graduated as valedictorian of his Bellevue High School class in 1941, and enrolled in Oberlin College. His studies were interrupted in 1944, when he joined the Navy V12 program to serve in the Pacific in World War II and rose to the rank of executive officer aboard LST 588. He witnessed the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima from aboard ship after delivering Marines for the invasion, as well as Japanese kamikaze at the invasion of Okinawa. After discharge from the Navy, he returned to Oberlin and completed his degree in 1947.

He entered graduate school at the University of Michigan in 1947, and earned a PhD in chemistry in 1954. During that time, he met and married Dorothy Irene "Dottie" Benson, of Nashua, then a nurse at the University of Michigan hospital. Their two children, Robert Benson and Barbara Ann, were born in Ann Arbor.

He took a job with DuPont and the family moved to Waynesboro in August, 1954. He worked for 31 years at DuPont in Waynesboro, starting as a research chemist in Benger Laboratories, involved in the development of synthetic textile fibers Nomex, Orlon, Kevlar and Lycra, and finished helping DuPont market its production technology around the world, retiring in 1985. He served on the Supervisory Audit Committee of the DuPont Credit Union from 1987 to 2003, seeing its expansion from two to nine branches over that time. He was the 19th inductee into the Bellevue (OH) School District Halls of Excellence in June, 2000.

He and Dottie were active bridge playing partners, both achieving Life Master status. They played golf at Waynesboro Country Club and were actively involved in their children's YMCA swim team. They both served in a number of officer roles at the First Presbyterian Church and enjoyed their vacation time on the outer banks of North Carolina. Dottie died in 1992, and Bob had resided at Summit Square since 2010.

He was proceeded in death by one brother, Price Vicekry Euler; and one sister, Helen Euler Wilson.

Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Barbara Euler and Bob Abramson, of Springfield, Va.; a son and daughter-in-law, Robert Benson and Sara Gourley Euler, of River Forest, Ill.; and three grandchildren, Joseph Benson Euler of New York, Alyson Campbell Euler of Chicago and Robert Samuel Euler of Chicago.

A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. on Sept. 10, at the First Presbyterian Church in Waynesboro.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Sunnyside Community Foundation-Summit Square.

McDow Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements.