Bobby McVey

“Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Robert Jay McVey, it summarized in every way who he was. He was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around him and always thinking before acting. He was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything he did. He was a friendly person who truly cared about those around him.

Robert was born on December 10, 1957 at St Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, New York. He was the son of Hugh and Constance McVey. He was known to his family and friends as Bobby or Bob. Raised in Port Jefferson, New York and Holiday, Florida, he was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy. As a child, he learned to be conscientious, responsible and punctual. These were all traits that he would carry with him throughout his life.

As a young boy, Bobby was always aware of how others around him felt and this quality served him well. With a deep capacity to tolerate the feelings of others, Bobby was generally able to avoid conflicts. It seemed as if Bobby was the family member who was always working to keep stress at bay. Bobby also had the ability to relate well with his family and friends. Bobby was raised with a brother, John. Bobby was constantly involved in activities with his family. Bobby and his brother John had the typical rivalries while growing up but they deeply cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years.

Growing up, Bobby was one of those children who didn’t need to be in the center of a whirlwind of activity. He was content to entertain himself. Bobby was never pushy when it came to games and other activities, but rather, he was able to enjoy the pure fun these could bring. In just about everything he did as a child, Bobby was intent on pleasing both the adults and the other children around him. He took part in football. In his spare time he liked sports. Bobby's memorable achievements included bowling a perfect 300 game when back in the day a 300 really meant something.

Bobby enjoyed learning. He always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Bobby was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. He often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Bobby was painstaking and accurate in his efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. He graduated from Gulf High School in New Port Richey, Florida in 1977. Bobby enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers. His favorite class in high school was math.

Most folks would say that Bobby was shy until they got to know him. Those who were privileged to know him well learned that he was a solid, good friend. Bobby was reluctant to generalize about people, and he based his friendships on his personal experiences. Because of this, Bobby best trusted those people that he truly knew. He was concerned about how those around him felt, and he always seemed to uncover the positive side of people. He could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to “walk a mile in their shoes,” as the saying goes. The friends that he made, Bobby kept. While growing up, his best friend was Mike Triola. Later in life, he became best friends with Alex Fasano, Darryl Smith, Joe Kellogg and Lee Upp.

Love can’t be defined but must be experienced. That was so true for Bobby. On September 2, 1988 Bobby married Donna Marie Ward at Grace Presbyterian Church of Springhill, Florida. He was totally committed to Donna and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Bobby naturally sensed his spouse’s needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. Although Bobby disliked conflict, he did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times.

Bobby was a good father to his son. He had “old fashioned” parental values and could handle typical family conflicts in a fair and calm manner. Because he trusted emotions, Bobby was reluctant to force issues and used gentle persuasion to resolve situations. In this way he seemed to radiate an aura of warmth and caring to those around him, always thinking before acting. In addition, Bobby was a master planner at work. No matter how hectic life around him might be, he seemed to know and track everyone’s schedule. Bobby was blessed with one child, a son David Michael.

If you gave Bobby a deadline, he would meet it. At work, Bobby was always on task. Without hesitation, Bobby could adhere to any assignment and see it through to its completion. His primary occupation was a Bowling Center Manager. He was employed for 25 years by Boyd Gaming. During that time, Bobby excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. He was able to quickly grasp concrete ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Bobby was good at staying on track and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Bobby had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. He was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

Bobby liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced Bobby's choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, Bobby preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to work on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were watching sports and taking chances with luck at the horse races.

While thorough and measured in his approach to things, Bobby often liked to physically do things rather than just think about them. He was like that with sports. In high school, Bobby played football. Recreational sports included bowling. He also enjoyed the statistical data and the facts behind the sports. In this way, he was something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite teams whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football, baseball and basketball.

Doing things to help others seemed to come naturally to Bobby. He never set out to gain individual recognition, but the praise and accolades given him for his many and varied efforts throughout his life were well deserved. Some of his most prestigious awards included his first 300 Bowling Ring. He also enjoyed vacationing in Del Mar, California

Bobby had a dog growing up named Major. Later in life he had a great companion, a cat named Taz. Sometime after he acquired five cats, Samantha, Chewy, Sherman, Angel and Buddy. Bobby was as loving to his pets as they were to him.

Bobby passed away on July 19, 2016 at St Rose San Martin Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada due to Severe Inoxic Brain injury, Asthma Attack and Cardiac Arrest. He is survived by wife Donna and son David. Services were held at Palm Southwest Mortuary. Some of Bobby's ashes may be taken to the Del Mar Race Track.

It is said that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Bobby was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Bobby was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of man to whom everyone was drawn to. He was thorough and practical. Bobby McVey was very literal with his words. You always knew where you stood with Bobby. He will be greatly missed.