Robert Joseph Reardon

On Sunday, July 5, 2026, Bob passed away peacefully at his home in Springfield, Virginia. Born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Navy upon graduation from Toledo High School in June 1955. He worked 53 years in direct support of the Navy, either in uniform or as a contractor, before retiring in 2008.

Bob was a Navy 'Mustang,' serving 24 years on active-duty advancing through the enlisted ranks before earning a commission as a Chief Warrant Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant. The Navy Mustang motto is "Sursum ab Ordine" or "Up from the Ranks", and advancement is based on hard work and experience. He was proud of this heritage and his role in bridging the gap between the deck plates and the wardroom. He served 18 years either at sea or overseas, with sea duty aboard a minesweeper, a submarine rescue ship, an amphibious assault ship and two aircraft carriers.

In September 1960 Bob married Virginia “Ginny” Knox of Connelly Springs, North Carolina. Ginny was assigned to the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps where they met in Norfolk, Virginia. After marrying, shore assignments included Bermuda, Spain and Panama before they returned to the States where Bob was an instructor at the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, Georgia. During those tours they were blessed with a daughter, Susan, born in Spain, and a son, Jeff, born in Panama.

Following retirement from the Navy in 1979, Bob spent the next 29 years in Washington, DC as a subject matter expert and executive supporting various U.S. Navy shipbuilding, maintenance, sustainment and logistics programs.

After the birth of his grandchildren Bob became an avid photographer. What started as taking photos of his family became a full-time hobby in retirement. Countless hours were spent photographing people and places around Washington D.C., Annapolis, Maryland, and his most cherished location, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate. He loved his daily walks there, sharing stories and photos with visitors, and of course getting underway on various vessels from the Mount Vernon wharf.

Bob was preceded in death by his beloved wife Ginny in April 2003. She is interred in Arlington National Cemetery where he will join her. Bob was also preceded in death by his father, Raymond Reardon, mother Edith Reardon, sister Peggy Neyens-Horch and brother James Reardon of Dubuque, Iowa.

He is survived by his son, Jeffrey Reardon of Arlington, Virginia, his daughter, Susan (Paul) Magasiny of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and grandsons, Jacob and Peter Magasiny.

Services and interment are private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to the United States Navy Memorial, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, or the charity of one's choice.