Robert Charles Lightburn

Robert Charles Lightburn passed away on February 1 after a nearly two-year battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Bob prioritized family above all else and is survived by his wife of 18 years, Geri Morrisette Lightburn, his sisters Charlotte Brooks (Mack Lathrop) and Cathy Bailey (Stuart), his children, David and Ginger Lightburn, Jessica Lightburn, Ellie and Danny Awdeh, Cate and Jess Bryant, and his stepchildren Stacy and Jake Heinbaugh, Patrick and Sarah Morrisette, Lisa and Javier Pluta, Kevin Morrisette, and Scott Morrisette. Known as “Grandbob” to his 10 grandchildren, Bob leaves behind an incredible legacy of faith, dedication to family and service. He was preceded in death by his wife of 25 years Jeannine Jackson Lightburn, his parents Catherine and Charles Lightburn and Jeannine’s parents, Pattie and Frank Jackson. Born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, Bob excelled in extemporaneous speech and debate and was the valedictorian of Geibel Catholic High School. He went on to major in Economics at Dickinson College where he was a Theta Chi, and studied abroad at Durham University in England where he played basketball. He received his law degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and was a member of the Bar Association in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, and DC. Bob began his esteemed 30-year tax accounting career in Pittsburgh at Coopers & Lybrand, seeing the firm through its historic merger with Price Waterhouse. He was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers for 21 years leading regional offices in Atlanta, Memphis, and Tysons Corner with his job moving the Lightburn family to Stone Mountain, GA, Germantown, TN, and back to Stone Mountain before a final move to Northern Virginia. With each relocation, Bob brought with him his Pittsburgh Steelers pride, going so far as to fly his team’s colors on the flagpole in Georgia on game days and forlornly lowering it to half mast when the team lost. Bob took immense care and pride in his clients and his work, and in his retirement enjoyed staying in touch with friends and colleagues from the firm through PwC alumni gatherings. One of his proudest moments was seeing two of his stepchildren, Stacy and Kevin pursue accounting degrees, with Stacy even following in his footsteps for a time at PwC. A lifelong learner and history buff, it was a trip to the Cyclorama in Atlanta, GA and seeing the depiction of the Battle of Atlanta with a mention of Union General Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn that sparked a curiosity and deeper study of the Civil War. What started as a hobby became his second act, and Bob earned his Masters in History at George Mason University in 2004. For over two decades, Bob could be found in the classroom, often teaching evening courses in taxation, accounting, and business law at the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris College, Memphis State University, and American University, and with his new degree, sharing his love of history at Northern Virginia Community College. He enjoyed engaging his students and loved his time in the classroom - delighting in the challenge of bringing the material to life through music or a YouTube video. A creative presenter and engaging storyteller, Bob relished the opportunity to engage with students and get them excited about Western Civ and Business Ethics. Inspired by the grit and determination of NOVA Community College students, he established a scholarship to support Business and Accounting students. Incredibly disciplined and goal oriented, running became a passion for Bob. He trained for his first marathon at 48, primarily to prove after his son David completed one, that he, too, was up to the challenge. He subsequently completed 21 marathons and 21 half marathons over the next 20+ years. (David retired from long distance running after that fateful first marathon.) A disciple of Jeff Galloway, Bob would encourage even the most casual runner, that they, too, could run a marathon. When he wasn’t running, Bob enjoyed working in his garden tending to his tomatoes and cucumbers, rehabilitating orchids, and researching the family tree. Bob had a strong faith and believed in generously sharing his time and talents whether through the Catholic Church serving on the finance committee, providing tax support or delivering meals and food items, serving on the board of GoodWill in Atlanta and the Board of the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation, and volunteering with the National Park Service at the Manassas battlefield. For almost 20 years, he volunteered and coached youth basketball for 6 of his 9 kids. Unfortunately, both Jessica and Ellie contributed to teams that never won a single game, despite Coach Lightburn’s unwavering encouragement. Even while recovering in the hospital from pneumonia and an aggressive round of chemo in 2022, he began making plans on how he would volunteer at the hospital in the future to spread a little joy and encouragement to those that were struggling. As the patriarch of a large blended family, Bob’s greatest legacy will be his family to whom he devoted his whole life. Bob was happily married to his children’s mother, Jeannine, whom he met in high school at a speech and debate competition in Florida. Bob and Jeannine had a home cooked dinner around the kitchen table with their kids most evenings, usually having to shoo the kids away so they could have a cup of tea and a Pinwheel cookie together for dessert, just the two of them, to talk and laugh. Bob was steadfast and a reassuring presence by Jeannine’s side during her hospitalization and subsequent liver transplant, comforting his children through an uncertain and challenging time. After the sudden loss of their mother in 2002, Bob, already a hands-on dad, re-committed himself to making sure his 4 kids continued to thrive, forging a special bond with his youngest daughter, Cate, who was only 12 at the time. Bob was an ever-present father, the kind of dad who knew the names of his kids’ friends and teachers, who drove carpool, cooked dinner, played games and took them to movies. He was the glue that kept everyone close. Meeting Geri revitalized his life and their marriage brought him so much joy. One of the greatest sources of his happiness was the blending of their two families, and he was an incredibly proud stepfather to her 5 children. Bob and Geri took on hobbies together from bicycle trips in Europe to swing dancing lessons to pickleball. Geri even got Bob to ice skate! He and Geri welcomed their massive blended brood home to Arlington at Thanksgiving, often deep frying the turkey to a cheering crowd in the driveway, hosted beach weeks full of games, happy hours and sunshine, orchestrated tournaments and prop bets around sporting events, and stayed in close touch through visits, texts and Zoom. Geri was his rock and best friend, and her unwavering devotion, care and strength sustained Bob during these last two years of treatment. Bob heroically beat cancer once after undergoing a bone marrow transplant in June 2021, with his son David as the donor. Bob’s acute myeloid leukemia returned in May 2022. His wide circle of friends from across the country wore “Team Bob” shirts and sent video messages that boosted his spirits and were a testament to his steadfast friendship through many moves and seasons of life. Bob was a man of character and integrity and left an indelible mark on the hearts of his family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, clients and students. His steady and constant example to be of service to others, to try new things and see where they lead, to delight in simple pleasures like a Saturday morning donut or a Tom Petty song, to capture moments like he did with his annual Christmas cassette tape interviews, and to put family above all else has inspired the next generations of Lightburns and Morrisettes and enriched the lives of all who had the honor to know him. He was a strong and steady light in the lives of his friends and family and the world will not shine as bright without Bob Lightburn in it. In lieu of flowers, to honor Bob, we invite you to consider giving blood at the Red Cross or your local blood bank because there is a critical blood shortage and Bob was the recipient of generous donations for the past two years. We also invite you to support the Lightburn Business-Accounting scholarship for students at Northern Virginia Community College by visiting the secure donation portal on the NOVA Foundation website: https://giving.nvcc.edu/make-a-gift. Choose ‘other’ from the designation drop down menu and type in: Lightburn Scholarship in the space provided or email [email protected].