Bob Winsbro

Bob Winsbro, age 93, died on October 31, 2017, in his lakeside home in Kingston. Born on March 5, 1924 in Washington D.C., he soon moved with his birth family to a farm in Luray VA, where he developed a passion for the Shenandoah Valley and nature in general. He instilled his love of nature’s beauties and mysteries in his children during their years rambling through the small, rural lakeside community where he moved his young family in 1952. After his retirement in 1987, he began writing vignettes of his childhood encounters with wildlife, including a two-headed turtle he and his brother Dick discovered, as well as the many sightings from the back porch overlooking the lake and meadow. These memoirs are treasured by his surviving family. During his years living near the Tennessee River, Bob became an avid collector of Native American artifacts, a pass-time he enjoyed for many years. With his wife, son and other children, he walked the nearby river banks searching for arrowheads, stone tools, and other remnants of the local various Native American Cultures that inhabited this area. They also participated in a University of Tennessee sponsored excavation near Bull Run Steam Plant before it was flooded by construction of the Tennessee Valley Authority dam at Melton Hill. Recognizing the value of the collection to the Native American and local community, Bob donated the collection to Fort Southwest Point in 2016. Bob received a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1944 and immediately enlisted in the Army. After basic training, he was sent to the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Oak Ridge TN where, unknown to him and his coworkers at the time, he contributed to development of the atomic bomb. When discharged from the Army in June 1946, he remained at K-25, performing operations analysis to support expansion of the gaseous diffusion program. After a 5-year stint leading a team in developing computer codes for seawater desalination systems design, he ended his career managing operations planning and analysis for the new Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant at K-25. Bob was preceded in death by his wife Ella Melvin Winsbro, his parents William and Anna Winsbro, his brother Richard Winsbro, and his sister Anna Winsbro Wynes. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Ken and Maggie Winsbro; three daughters and sons-in-law Alice and Johnny Church, Bonnie Winsbro and Vic Cain, and Linda and Greg Fernald; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter. He is also survived by his sister Nancy Winsbro, nephew Jack Winsbro, and niece MaryAnna Wynes. The family would like to thank the many friends and neighbors who have provided companionship, meals, and continuing care, ensuring Bob’s well-being and safety after the death of his wife Ella in 2006. You helped to make those years rich and fulfilling. Funeral 11am Tuesday November 7, 2017 in the Kyker Chapel with Rev. Steve Parker officiating. Burial in Roane Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7pm Monday at the Kyker Funeral Home in Kingston.

Bob Winsbro

March 5, 1924 - October 31, 2017