Dr. Robert "Bob" Ramger

Bob Ramger never met a shell he didn’t love—or a stranger he didn’t try to turn into a lifelong friend before mile two of a hike. You could measure his life in boxes of seashells, wildflower and travel field guides, and conversations with delighted strangers. He believed the best way to understand the world was to stop and admire its smallest wonders—be it a spiraled shell, a soft moss bed, or someone else’s story.

He left behind a doting and devoted wife of over 60 years, a loving family, countless friends, and more seashells than could be reasonably boxed or explained. He taught biology, but more than that, he taught us to look—really look—at the small, beautiful things most people miss. To know him was to be offered a book, a piece of trivia about phytoplankton, and a warm, unhurried conversation that made you feel like the only person in the world. If you ever had the pleasure of sitting next to Bob at a potluck, a card table, a committee meeting, or just on a porch swing with a cold glass of crystal light lemonade, you knew you were in for a story—probably a good one, definitely a long one, and almost certainly one that left you laughing.

Bob was born on May 20, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. Life changed course early on when Bob’s biological father passed away when he was just three years old and his older brother, Harold, was 10. But after a hard loss, a surprise came in the form of Walter Acker, the man who married Bob’s mother, Genevieve. Genevieve made one non-negotiable request: she’d marry Walter only if he agreed to move the family somewhere warmer. So, in 1946, the family packed up and headed south to Pinellas Park, Florida, trading in city stoops for palm trees.

Though the family lived modestly, Bob found joy in the natural world around him. He loved tagging along with Walter on handyman jobs and exploring the nooks and crannies of Florida’s wild places. That curiosity was the origin story that would grow into a lifelong love of biology and the outdoors. And, he never outgrew his sense of wonder.

Bob graduated from St. Pete High School in 1952, having played baseball, basketball and football. He was good at all of them. He was good at most things. Following the advice of the pastor at his local Presbyterian Church, Bob took his sharp mind and huge heart to Maryville College in Tennessee, where he graduated in 1956.

That same fall, he accepted a position teaching biology there—beginning a 42-year career that inspired the lives of countless students. But let’s be honest: the most important thing he did that year was meet Sue Kindred, the love of his life and his very best friend. They were married on December 20, 1957, and spent the next 67 years laughing, learning, and loving their way through life.

Bob was a lifelong learner. The world was equal parts question mark and exclamation point—something to study, savor, and share. He was endlessly curious—about nature, books, people, card games, hiking trails, and how to be a good neighbor. Maryville became home in every sense of the word, and he poured himself into his community. He was a proud member of New Providence Presbyterian Church, a faithful member of the Alcoa Kiwanis Club, and a loyal supporter of the Friends of the Library (where he spent at least as much time talking to volunteers and librarians as organizing the donated books).

Bob’s older brother, Harold, lost his hearing as a child after a bout of spinal meningitis. Bob looked up to him all his life. Harold built a beautiful family with his wife, Cato and taught at the California School for the Deaf. In 1968, tragedy struck when Harold died in his sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning. At Harold’s funeral, Bob was profoundly moved by the deaf community. That fall, he established a program in American Sign Language at Maryville College-a decision born of grief and love. Now, more than fifty years later, Maryville remains a leader in ASL interpreting.

Bob was a founding member of the legendary (and leisurely) Smoky Mountain “Wizzers”- a Maryville men’s hiking group more famous for their frequent pit stops than for their mileage. Bob loved the mountains, and he loved the people who hiked them with him.

Socially, Bob was rich in the best way. Along with hiking with the “Wizzers,” he was also a member of the men’s book club “Groundhog Day”. He broke bread, shared prayers and had programs with his Geneva Fellowship church group, and threw down at card games with his beloved game night crew, especially over intense rounds of “Hand and Foot.”

He was the kind of man who had “friends in every room and room for every friend”. But his greatest joy, without question, was his family.

Bob is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sue—his constant companion, co-adventurer, and anchor. He is also survived by his children: Evelyn (Bob), Cathy (Jeff), and David (Julie); daughter-in-law, Robin; his beloved grandchildren: Genevieve (Alex), Kelsey (Matt), Katherine (Max), John David (Chloe), Ben (Sam), Aaron (Ocean), and Jay; and his great-grandchildren: Davis, Addie, Amelia, Booker, and Elise. He was predeceased by his parents, Harold, Sr. and Genevieve, step-father Walter; brother Harold; sister-in-law Cato, his grandson Mark, and his great-grandson Fitz. We trust he is holding both boys tight now.

Bob’s legacy isn’t just in the Maryville College Focus Magazines or church bulletins. It’s in the way people felt after they spent time with him: seen, heard, and just a little bit better about the world. He was proof that a life doesn’t have to be flashy to be profound—it just has to be faithful, full of love, and lived with wonder.

So, here’s to Dr. Bob Ramger: husband, father, teacher, hiker, storyteller, shell collector, and friend. We’ll miss the stories, the jokes, the random trivia, and the ever-present twinkle in his eye. But mostly, we’ll miss him.

A memorial service will be held at Starmount Presbyterian Church at 3501 West Market Street in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday, June 13th at 2 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Harold Ramger Scholarship fund at Maryville College, 502 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804 or to Starmount Presbyterian Church in Greensboro.