Robert Hahne Sr.

1938 -2024

Robert L. Hahne, Sr. of McLean, Virginia, passed away on Monday, October 28, 2024 with his three sons by his side. Bob was born in Washington, Missouri on December 25, 1938, the son of Arthur and Selma Hahne. He is survived by three sons, Jeff, Jerry and Rob; a daughter in-law, Kieran; five grandchildren, Jared, Lauryn, Robert, Maddie, and Kyle; an uncle, Don Hahne of Washington, Missouri; numerous cousins, and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years Barbara Ann Hahne, and his parents.

Bob loved baseball and was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. Around the time of his graduation from high school in 1956, he was offered a contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play in their minor league farm system. He chose not to pursue professional baseball and decided instead to serve six months active duty in the U.S. Army under the Reserve Forces Act program, and then to pursue a college education. Upon completion of his six months of active duty service, Bob became the first in his extended family to go to college, attending Central College (now known as Central Methodist University) in Fayette, Missouri. Throughout his life he would always remain grateful for his parents’ foresight and the sacrifices they made that allowed him to attend college.

In June, 1959 Bob married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Ann Williams. He was 20 years old, she was 19. Eighteen months later in December 1960, their first child Jeffrey was born. Adulthood came quick back in those days. Following graduation from Central College in May, 1960, Bob briefly tried his hand in the residential construction business before deciding to change paths and respond to an ad from the St. Louis office of the public accounting firm of Haskins and Sells (now known as Deloitte) later in 1960. He always felt very fortunate that the managing partner of the St. Louis office took a chance and hired him. That began an illustrious career with Deloitte that would last over 40 years.

Specializing in the public utility industry, Bob spent a year in the Haskins and Sells New York City office before transferring to the Washington, DC National Affairs office in 1972. He became a partner in the firm in 1974 and was named the National Director of Public Utility Services in 1986, a role in which he remained until his retirement in 2001. In 1983, along with several Deloitte colleagues, he co-authored a book, Accounting for Public Utilities. While we suspect that the book did not make the best-seller list, it was nonetheless quite a noteworthy accomplishment. Beyond the professional achievements, Bob placed great value on the many enduring friendships that were formed with Deloitte colleagues and others within the industry over the course of his career.

Bob’s faith was a central part of his life. He and Barb worshipped at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean and he greatly enjoyed being part of the Redeemer community, and the friendships he and Barb made with so many others at Redeemer were deep and lasting. Over the years, he served in a variety of capacities at Redeemer, including as a Sunday school teacher, as President of LENS (an organization supporting the development of a Lutheran seminary outside of St. Petersburg Russia), as President of the Church Council, and in too many other capacities to try to list. He believed that faith compelled action. He and Barb led efforts to initiate Rise Against Hunger events in McLean that have now been ongoing since 2010 with the help of so many wonderful volunteers and the support of the community.

Bob was also very active in many civic and charitable organizations. For many years he served on the Board of Partner for Surgery, an organization formed to bring medical care and surgical services to rural Guatemalans. He also served on the Board of the McLean Tysons Orchestra, and in years past held leadership positions within McLean Little League, McLean Babe Ruth, and the Langley High School Boosters. He coached too many baseball teams to count over the years, including a McLean Babe Ruth team that won the Virginia state championship in 1984. To watch him coaching a baseball team was to see him in his element.

Rotary was an important part of Bob’s life. He was a member of a Rotary chapter in downtown DC for many years before moving to the McLean Rotary. He served a term as President of the McLean Rotary as well as a term as Assistant District Governor. The Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” resonated with him as it does for so many Rotarians. It was at a Rotary convention in Richmond that Bob and Barb first became exposed to Rise Against Hunger (then known as Stop Hunger Now).

For many years Bob served on the President’s Leadership Council and the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Central Methodist University (CMU). He and Barb established a scholarship fund to be awarded to a CMU student each year. He was also a founding director of Chain Bridge Bank (CBB) in McLean and his years serving on the CBB Board were very meaningful to him.

Bob undertook many roles in a full and active life. For his family, he was the rock of dependability, always there for us. His devoted care of Mom during her long and difficult cancer battle is one of the many memories we will always cherish. To us, he was simply Dad and Grandpa, and with love and with exceedingly grateful hearts, we will always count that as the richest of blessings.

There will be a celebration of Bob’s life held on Wednesday November 6th from 6 to 9 PM at Westwood Country Club located at 800 Maple Ave. East, Vienna, Virginia 22180.

Bob’s funeral service will take place on Thursday, November 7th at 10 AM and will be held at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer located at 1545 Chain Bridge Road in McLean, Virginia 22101. The funeral service will be followed by a reception at the church.

Those that wish to can remember Bob with gifts to either of the following:

1). By Mail: Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 1545 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101

Please note “Rise Against Hunger – McLean Event” in memo section of check

Online: https://rah.my.salesforce-sites.com/events/homepage?id=7018c000001DaXbAAK

On the Donations Page there is a Select Team box with a drop down menu that will allow you

to select “In Memory of Bob Hahne”

2). By mail: Partner for Surgery, PO Box 388, McLean VA 22101, USA

Online: https://partnerforsurgery.org/