Robert Street Tisdale

Robert Street Tisdale Age 86 of Wellington, Fl. passed away on January 29, 2008 after a brief illness. Bob and his brother, Charles, were born on May 14, 1921, in Portland, OR, sons of Aline Johnson and Charles Henry Tisdale, Sr. The twins enjoyed urban life with their parents and sister, Virginia Vaill Tisdale, in Portland, OR, and country life during the summers in Sutherlin, OR, with their grandparents, Lucy Street and Mark Norris Tisdale. Bob graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland, OR, in 1939. Bob enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1939. He was released from active duty to attend North Dakota Agricultural College in 1941 prior to joining his brother at the U. S. Naval Academy in 1942. He graduated from the Academy in 1945 with the class of 1946. His sea tours included gunnery duties in the NEW JERSEY (BB-62), FURSE (DD-882), and RADFORD (DDE-446). Subsequent sea tours included assignment as Commanding Officer of the MEEKER COUNTY (LST-980), Missile Officer of CANBERRA (CAG-2), Executive Officer of JOHN KING (DDG-3), Commanding Officer of MULLINIX (DD944), Commanding Officer of CASCADE (AD-16), and Commander Escort Squadron TEN and Destroyer Squadron TWENTY. Shore assignments included Guided Missile School at The Army Artillery School in Fort Bliss, TX, instructor at the U. S. Naval Academy and at General Line School in Monterey, CA, followed by studies in Ordnance Engineering at the U. S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey. Later, he attended the Naval War College in Newport, RI, and was assigned to the Naval Ordnance Systems Command and Surface Missile Systems Project in Washington, DC. He established and commanded the Human Resources Development Center in Norfolk, VA. Bob?s final tour was on the staff of CINCLANTFLT in Norfolk. During these tours, he earned a M.S. (chemistry) from the U. S. Navy Postgraduate School and a M.A. (international affairs) from the George Washington University. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and a Gold Star in lieu of a second award. In 1951, Bob found his life partner in Nancy Thompson, a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force. They met, courted, and married in Honolulu, HI. Upon retirement in July 1975, they settled in Alexandria, VA, where Nancy went back to nursing and Bob worked for Vitro Corporation and DELEX. In 1989, they moved to Wellington, FL returning to Alexandria periodically for the summer months. Bob is survived by Nancy, his wife of 56 years; a daughter, Kim, of Delray Beach, FL; a nephew, Charles Henry Tisdale, IV, of Tucson, AZ; and a niece, Ruth Tisdale DeBoer, of Douglas, AZ. His son, Todd, passed way in 2006. A memorial service will be held for Bob at Palms West Funeral Home in Royal Palm Beach on Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. The family asks that memorial contributions be sent to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, 875 North Randolph Street, Suite 225, Arlington, VA 22203-1977 or online at www.nmcrs.org (click on ?Make a Gift?).