Captain Robert Ayres Schelling, U ret.

Bob attended school on the east and west coasts and graduated from Balboa High School, Canal Zone. Entering the Naval Academy, he graduated with the Class of 1938.

He served two years in battleship IDAHO. In 1940 he married Mary Anne Royar and the couple drove to Key West where Bob joined the four-piper destroyer BUCHANAN DD-131 on Neutrality Patrol.

Shortly thereafter the BUCHANAN became one of the first destroyers turned over to the British in the destroyers-forbases exchange and Bob went to the REUBEN JAMES DD-245.

During World War II he served in NICHOLSON DD-442 and as executive officer of THORN DD-647 in the Atlantic, and did a tour as Operations Officer of the Fleet Sonar School, Key West, where daughter Perky was born. He then commanded STEVENS DD-479 in the Pacific.

After the war he attended Postgraduate School at Annapolis and received a master's degree in electronics engineering. Daughter Pamela was born at Annapolis.

During the Korean War Bob commanded LYMAN K. SWENSON DD-729 and participated in operations during the first four months of the war, including the assault landings at Inchon in September of 1950.

This was followed by a tour of duty as destroyer project officer on the Ship Characteristics Board in OPNAV.

Later commands included Escort Squadron 11, Fleet Training Group Western Pacific at Yokosuka, Japan, repair ship AJAX AR-6 homeported Sasebo, Japan, Destroyer Squadron 23, and Naval ROTC Unit University of Washington. His final tour of duty was Chief of Staff, Hawaiian Sea Frontier/Fourteenth Naval District at Pearl Harbor from which he retired in 1968. Bob received the Silver Star, the Navy Commendation Medal with bronze "V", and the Navy Unit Commendation.

Bob and Mary Anne settled in Seattle, Washington. From 1969 to 1981 Bob was Port Captain/Port Engineer for the University of Washington's Department of Oceanography, managing the maintenance and logistics of its research ships. He held a Coast Guard Merchant Marine Officer license as Master of Ocean Steam or Motor Vessels of Any Gross Tons, and sailed as Master on two scientific voyages across the Pacific to Japan and return.

In the 70's and 80's Bob and Mary Anne enjoyed cruising the scenic inside passages of British Columbia in their diesel-powered cruiser including several one- or two-week cruises with a classmate and wife from other parts of the country.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Mary Anne Schelling, their daughters Patricia Anne husband Gregory Smith of Gainsville, FL and Pamela wife Gary E. Holder of Pueblo, CO. Also surviving are four grandchildren: Deborah husband Bowie Bailey of No. Lauderdale, FL, Patrick wife Terri Smith and their son Riley Smith of Ocala, FL, Rebecca Holder of Pueblo, CO, Samuel J. Holder of Pueblo, CO; Bob's brother Dr. Thomas C. Schelling of Bethesda, MD and Bob's sister Nancy husband RobertDorfman of Boston, MA.