Robert Louis Fuerst

He was born on July 22, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest son of Lila Dale Rosenbloom Fuerst and Herbert Fuerst. He moved to Rocky Mount as an infant and grew up there. He graduated with a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill in 1969, after only 3 years of study. During that year he also met his wife, Claudia, also a student at UNC Chapel Hill. They were married on June 1, 1969 and had a long, wonderful marriage and life together.

He received an M.A. in Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1970. After he received his master's degree, he returned to UNC Chapel Hill for law school, during which time he was a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. He was honorably discharged from Army following his service. After receiving his J.D. from UNC Chapel Hill School of Law in 1973, he obtained an advanced law degree from the University of Brussels, Belgium, in international law in 1974.

He then returned to Rocky Mount to practice law. The law firm that he created with Tom Henson, Sr. in 1976 has been open for more than 40 years and continues as Henson & Fuerst, P.A.

He dedicated his legal practice and his life to helping people, first as one of the initial group of lawyers specialized as family law attorneys in North Carolina to later crafting a new legal practice to fight against nursing home abuse. He spent his life learning new skills and putting them to use. He spent a tremendous amount of his life helping others. His passions were his family, travel, scuba diving, and learning and speaking multiple languages. He was a great storyteller and he loved to laugh. And most of all, he adored his grandchildren.

He shared everything he had with his loved ones. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Claudia, and his daughters, Shanah Black and her husband, Jamie Black, and grandson, Robert, and Rachel Fuerst and her husband, Kepler Knott, and granddaughters, Sylvie and Minnie Knott, all of Raleigh, his brother and sister-in-law, Sam and Kathy Fuerst of Durham, his sister, Sarah Fuerst of Raleigh, and by many loving family members and friends.

He leaves a life of service. He was a member of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh and Temple Beth El in Rocky Mount. In lieu of flowers, his family would prefer and he would want donations made in his memory to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, NC Hillel and the ALS Association North Carolina Chapter.

A graveside service will be held 1:00pm Wednesday, January 11, 2017, at Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery, 450 N. State Street, Raleigh, NC 27604.

Condolences may be sent through: www.brownwynne.com.