Robert Emil Theiss, Sr., a former Fishkill resident, died on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at his home in Ballston Lake. He was 83.
Son of the late Emil and Anna (Wiener) Theiss, he was born in the Bronx on May 27, 1932. After moving upstate from New York City in the 5th grade, Robert grew up in the Fishkill and Wappingers Falls area. He graduated from Wappingers Falls Central High School in 1950 and later attended an electrician trade school in New York City.
He married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Young from Hughsonville, in 1952. Together they lived in in the Town of Fishkill, where they raised three sons: Robert Jr., Steve, and Neil. In 1974, they moved to Saratoga Springs. Robert and Ruth retired to New Bern, NC in 1998 and then returned to New York State in recent years to be closer to their family.
"Bobby" worked in his early years building homes with his father Emil and brother Chuck and they built many homes together in the Fishkill area. From 1964 to 1974, he was employed at I.B.M. in East Fishkill. Post 1974, Bobby was self-employed, providing electrical, plumbing, and construction services. He also owned and operated an unfinished furniture store in Gansevoort, NY in the mid-1980s.
Bobby is a past member of the Protection Engine Co. and Rombout Fire Co. in Fishkill. He was a certified "Master Gardener" for the Saratoga County Cooperative Extension and a member of the Saratoga Kiwanis Club.
At 6 foot 4 inches tall, he enjoyed playing basketball in local leagues. He also liked to bowl, golf, and go fishing. He fished with his family in the Adirondack Mountains, where he built a cabin on Schroon Lake and resurrected a historic boat house on Indian Lake. Bobby was a skilled woodworker who enjoyed making furniture, wood carvings, and toys for his grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth; his sons, Robert Theiss, Jr. & his wife Nanette, Steve Theiss & his wife Jeanne, and Neil Theiss & his wife Gaye; his grandchildren, Crystal, Eric, Jordan, Jonathon, Gregory, Alexander, and Ariel; his brother, Chuck; and many nieces and nephews.
Calling hours will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, June 5 at the McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street, Fishkill. A Funeral Service will begin at 12 p.m. immediately following the calling hours. Interment will follow at Fishkill Rural Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Community Hospice Foundation, 295 Valley View Blvd., Rensselaer, NY 12144; www.communityhospice.org.
For directions, online condolences, and memorial donations, please visit Bobby's "Book of Memories" at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.