Robert O. Foernsler

Robert O. (Bob) Foernsler, 91, a 44-year resident of Arnold, MD and a past resident of Jamaica, New York died of natural causes on October 7, 2014. Born March 21, 1923, in Queens, New York, the son of the late Otto M. and Josephine (Rieck) Foernsler. Bob graduated from John Adams High School in January 1940. He attended Queens College in Flushing, NY until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps (precursor to the Air Force) in October 1942. He received his pilot wings in June 1943 and was assigned as a B-24 bomber pilot in the European theater during World War II with the 455th Bomb Group, 741st Squadron near Cerignola, Italy. He flew 30 combat missions with the 15th Air Force. He was awarded the Air Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, with one Silver Star, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button. He returned stateside to civilian life in September 1945. In 1946 he attended West Virginia Wesleyan College under the G.I. Bill and graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics. He returned to New York and married the former Dorothy Jean Andersen on September 11, 1948 and accepted a federal government job at the Naval Applied Science Laboratory in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. While employed at the Navy Yard, Bob attended the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn at night and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1955. In March of 1969 he served an unusual civilian tour; he was assigned to Ben Lisk, Vietnam in the Vietnamese Laboratory Assistance Program. While there he served as project engineer to evaluate a new high-velocity water jet proposed for installation aboard naval ships as river war weaponry. During his brief assignment there he was wounded by 109mm enemy rocket fire on March 15, 1969 and he became one of the few civilians awarded the Purple Heart. In addition, he received the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award. Returning to the States that same year, Bob joined David Taylor Research Center (DTRC) in Annapolis during the large-scale transfer of personnel from Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Annapolis DTRC. He was a supervisory general engineer in the Materials Departments, Firefighting and Survivability Branch, a position he held until his retirement in 1985 after 38 years of federal service. His interests were live theater productions, reading, watching sports and playing golf. He as a member of the USNA Golf Club since 1970 and enjoyed the comradeship of his "Dirty Dozen". He made his one and only hole-in-one on May 1, 1995. Bob also served as a volunteer with the Anne Arundel Medical Center Auxiliary for ten years. His wife of 54 years, Dorothy J. Foernsler, died in 2002. Surviving are: sister-in-law Grace A. Carras, six nephews, eight grand-nephews and five grand-nieces. His sister Dorothy M. Stein and brother-in-law are deceased. There will be a gathering from 4-6 pm on 10/11/14 at John M. Taylor Funeral Home, 147 Duke of Gloucester St., in Annapolis MD . Services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be made at www.johnmytaylorfuneralhome.com