Robert Eastburn Jr.

Robert Eastburn, Jr., born July 13, 1943, passed into eternal rest May 2, 2025, aged eighty-one years, following complications from a long battle with cancer. Robert was the son of Robert Eastburn, Sr., and Frances Eastburn (née Board) of Wilmington, DE. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Delaware in 1964, where he earned a commission through ROTC. He completed his Juris Doctor at the University of Chicago in 1967, shortly before marrying Elaine Marie Adams, also of Wilmington. In 1968, he served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and, after passing the bar, continued his service with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He served for more than twenty years before retiring from the U.S. Army Reserves as a colonel. During his civilian life, he practiced corporate law for several defense industry companies. He had diverse interests, was an avid hiker on the Appalachian Trail, and never ceased to seek new challenges. After the age of eighty, he became both a certified naturalist with the Tennessee State Park Service and a docent for the Brooks Museum. His sarcasm and sharp wit were known to many and featured prominently in all of his endeavors.

He is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Elaine Eastburn, sister Frances, brother Donald, daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Patrick McFadden, son and daughter-in-law Dennis and Yen Eastburn, and grandchildren Robert McFadden, Margaret McFadden, and Brooke Eastburn.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.