Robert Harder Gorrie

One of the early residents of Columbia, Md., Robert (Bob) Gorrie, passed away at his home there following a long illness with Parkinson’s disease on Monday, December 28.

Bob Gorrie was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Harvard Harder Gorrie and Dorothy Hartwell Gorrie during the Great Depression. He attended Cornell University, earning his Bachelor of Science in Geology there. He then served in the United States Air Force as a pilot based in Iceland for three years. On December 28, 1958, Bob married Marcia Wurth of Cranford, N.J. They had four children.

Bob’s interests in aviation and aerospace led him to a long career with Westinghouse’s Aerospace and Air Defense International Division. Beginning in 1975 Bob, along with a group of executives from other industries, assisted the United States government with a ten-year project to normalize trade relationships with China. Subsequently, Bob assisted the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense to negotiate a replacement of the failed “Nimrod” surveillance plane project with a contract that included the manufacture of AWAKs in the United Kingdom at a substantial savings to the British government.

After retirement in 1994, Bob pursued other interests and talents. Sharing a love of the visual arts with his son Michael, Bob focused his artistic efforts on woodworking, becoming known for his finely made bowls and vases. An amateur musician, Bob took great pleasure in the jazz guitar talents of his son Dave. Bob’s granddaughters, the children of his daughter, Katie, were a great joy to him. Bob invested in his daughter Gretchen’s racehorse business, and spent enjoyable days with her at the track and in the “Winner’s Circle.” With his wife, Marcia, Bob traveled widely, participated in the Howard County Film Society, and was active in community projects such as gardening and sports coaching. Their many friends cherished Bob’s sharp intellect, sense of humor, and kindheartedness.

Services were held at the Witzke Funeral Home in Columbia on Dec. 31, 2015, followed by burial at the Columbia Memorial Cemetery in Clarksville, Md. Bob is survived by his wife, Marcia Gorrie; his brother, Tom Gorrie of Cleveland, Ohio; his children, Michael Hartwell Gorrie, Gretchen Gorrie Devers, David Wurth Gorrie, and Katherine Gorrie Hinton, as well as four beloved grandchildren: Maya, Toni, Kali, and Evelyn.