Robert J Saxton

Bob Saxton passed away peacefully on April 28, 2026, at age 99, always joking and smiling to the very end. Bob was born in Wellsville, NY in 1927 and grew upon on a dairy farm with his parents, C.O. Saxton, Wilma Saxton, and his brother Gordon.

In 1942, Bob and his parents moved to Florida and he attended Orlando High School (now Howard Middle School). At the end of his Junior year, at age 17 and after much persuasion, Bob finally convinced his parents to sign the form that would allow him to enlist with the US Navy and join the armed forces in WWII. After boot camp and gunnery training in Norfolk, VA, on the recently refurbished USS New York, Bob headed to the Pacific.

Still at the young age of 17, Bob was part of the gunnery crew on the battleship USS New York (BB-34) that had the distinction of firing the most munitions during the pre-invasion bombardment of Iwo Jima. This extensive bombardment played a crucial role in supporting ground forces during the invasion, contributing to the overall success of the operation. In addition, the bombardment by USS New York included a notable salvo that struck the primary ammunition dump on Iwo Jima, resulting in a significant secondary explosion. After Iwo Jima, the battle of Okinawa took place three days after Bob turned 18. At the end of WWII, on October 26, 1945, Bob and the crew of USS New York proudly sailed in the NYC harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, to participate in-Navy Day 1945.

After WWII, Bob obtained his high school diploma and then attended and graduated from Columbia Bible College in South Carolina. He then traveled to Mexico with a group of friends associated with Wycliffe Bible Translators. He met Marian Means in Acapulco in 1952 when she was leading a bike trip of students through Mexico. After Marian returned to Springfield, Illinois, they remained in close contact through correspondence, and then married in 1955.

From 1955 – 1958, Bob and Marian Saxton lived in Xalacapan, Mexico, working with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and their son, Robert Saxton, Jr, was born in Mexico City in 1956. In 1958, they moved to Orlando, Florida and their family was complete with the birth of their daughter, Terry, in 1960. In Orlando, Bob worked at Johnson Electric / Hughes Supply and then, in the early 1970s, he obtained his Florida general contractor’s license and began building custom homes in Orlando and Winter Park under his company, Saxton Homes, Inc.

Bob Saxton is survived by his wife, Marian, his son, Robert James Saxton, Jr., and daughter, Terry Saxton Spring; and five grandchildren: Tyler Saxton; Hayley Dimarco, Nicole Reigle, Jessica Kruppenbacher, and Madeline Saxton. In addition, Bob is survived by three great-grandchildren, Cal Dimarco; Nora Dimarco, and Simon Saxton. Bob lived his life dedicated to his family with a sense of humor, calmness, and humility. He will be with us always.