Robert William Pickard

He was born May 23, 1939 and raised in Syracuse, NY.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years Kathryn J. (Gibbons) Pickard; son Robert (Martha Anne); and daughters Kristin Quinn (Don); Tamara Pickard; Janelle Greathouse; Alexandra Deason (Darren). He was the proud grandpa to Donald, Abihail, Matthias, Annelise, Kenneth, Grace, Connor, Caedan, Jenna, Bethany, Gabrielle, Colton and stepgranddaughters Leslie Hull and Sarah (Hull) Hoskins.

Bob was predeceased by his parents Robert and Lillian Pickard; sister Gladys King and daughter Luralynn Evans.

He grew up on a farm in upstate NY and graduated from North Syracuse High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology and business from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO.

Bob began his very successful career in the life insurance industry in Binghamton, NY. He held executive positions with several companies and in 1975, founded his own brokerage general agency, Underwriting Specialists, Inc. in suburban Philadelphia, PA. He was nationally recognized for his achievements with many industry awards for production and as an individual, including the Million Dollar Round Table. He served as president of the Philadelphia Chapter of CLU and National Brokerage Agencies and held leadership positions in many other industry organizations. He was featured regularly in industry magazines.

Bob was an active lifelong member of the United Methodist Church and served in many leadership roles. As a member of Jarrettown United Methodist Church for over 35 years, he initiated the annual church family retreat and served on the board of Simpson House, as well as many church committees. He was instrumental in establishing the Interfaith Dialogue group that met to foster understanding and respect among different faiths for 20 years.

He was an avid gardener, raising his own dahlias and planting hundreds of trees throughout his lifetime. He enjoyed golf, was an excellent cook, a competitive bridge player and enjoyed chess with his grandchildren.

Along with his wife, Kathi, he loved traveling all over the world. He visited almost every continent, including Asia, South America, Europe and Australia. He enjoyed cruises and annual family vacations on Cape Cod and regular visits to Disneyworld.

After retiring in 2013, he and Kathi moved to Bonita Springs, FL where he enjoyed the warm weather, long walks and making new friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens, 525 111th Avenue N, Naples, FL 34108 on Friday, October 22, 2021. Visitation at 10:00 am with service at 11:00 am.

In addition, a Memorial Service and Internment will be held at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, 1460 Limekiln Pike, Dresher, PA 19025 on Friday, November 12, 2021. Visitation from 10:00 to 11:00; service at 11:00 with internment immediately following.

In lieu of flowers please consider planting a tree in Bob’s memory through alivingtribute.org