Robert Dewey Rourke

| June 20, 2016

RourkeRobert Dewey Rourke, 91, of Sheffield, died Sunday, June 19, 2016, at home after a brief illness.

Born August 12, 1924, in Warren, he was the son of the late Ida Shaw Rourke Caldwell and Thomas Caldwell, and also the son of the late Walter Rourke. His wife Lula F. Ishman Rourke whom he married on March 14, 1942, preceded him in death on December 10, 2013.

Bob served in the U. S. Navy Armed Guard from 1943 to 1945. He had 14 Atlantic Crossings aboard the American Trader and the Jonathan Grout. He received a Medal of Merit from saving his ship from sinking in a violent storm.

Bob worked at the Warren State Hospital in the 1950’s, he then belonged to the Bricklayers Union and worked as a cement finisher working on the Kinzua Dam and Powerhouse from beginning to end. He also worked on the Warren Mall and other area jobs as a private contractor with his son Larry for many years.

He was a member of the Masonic Olive Temple Lodge #557 in Tionesta, and Coudersport Consistory.

He was an avid fisherman and loved going to Cape Cod with his wife Lou who also loved the sport of fishing. After the passing of Lou, his grandson Gary Cochran and his wife Londa would take him to the Cape so he could do a little fishing. Bob was an interesting man to talk to, he loved to tell all about the places he had worked and the lifestyle that he and his family lived. Bob loved and enjoyed all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a very proud person and a very helpful person. He will truly be missed by all his family.

Bob’s hobbies included making fishing lures, hunting and trapping in his younger years, and snowmobiling. He was a Polaris dealer in Sheffield from 1969 – 1988.

Surviving are two daughters, Judith Cochran of Sheffield, and Louann (Mike) Wolfgang of Sheffield; three sons, Ronald (Margie) O’Rourke of Latrobe, Stanley (Kay) O’Rourke, and Gerald (Teresa) Rourke both of Sheffield; a daughter-in-law, Beverly O’Rourke of Marienville, a sister-in-law, Rachel Eck of Marienville, a brother-in-law Raymond Ishman of North Carolina, and his faithful little dog Pippi. Also surviving are sixteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death, by his parents, a son, Larry O’Rourke, and a son-in-law, Charles Cochran. He was also preceded in death by four brother-in-laws, Dean Alex, Fred, and Donald Ishman.

His family will receive friends on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, from 2 – 4 p.m. and 6 – 8 p.m. at the Furlong Funeral Home, 140 Cherry St. Marienville, (www.furlongfuneralhome.com), and Thursday, June 23, 2016, from 10 a.m. until the time of services at 11 a.m.

Interment will follow in the Frost Cemetery, Pigeon, Pa.


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Category: Obituaries