Obituary of Robert Lawrence Stickney

Dansville- Robert (Bob) Stickney, passed away at the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on August 1 at 75 years of age after a long and hard fight against a reoccurring knee infection and dementia. Bob was born October 11, 1940 in Gardner, MA, where he was raised with three sisters and a brother. A 1959 graduate of Gardner High School, Bob worked in a printing press in Gardner before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1961. He was honorably discharged in 1965, after which he worked in a civil service job for the Air Force. In 1970 he moved to Niagara Falls, where he met Barbara von Doenhoff, a student at Alfred University, with whom he quickly fell in love. They married on August 26, 1972 in Niagara Falls. Together, they enjoyed many outings on Niagara River on his motorboat, as well as spending time with his friends at Niagara Falls Air Force Base. A year and a half after marriage, he accepted a position as an electronics technician with the Federal Aviation Administration at the Rochester airport, which led them to purchase a house in Rochester, NY where they started their family. Four years later, Bob accepted a new position with the FAA in Sparta, NY, and he and Barb settled in Dansville, NY. He is predeceased by his parents Ralph and Hazel Stickney, and a sister, Barbara (Roger) Bergevin. He is survived by his wife Barbara, their children Kim (Tim) Yablonsky of Illinois, Heather Zimmermann of Seattle, Debbie Stickney of Seattle, and Penny (Allen) Ball of Seattle; three grandchildren; two sisters Beverly (Lewis) Mowry of LeRoy and Sharron Parks of Massachusetts, and a brother Dale (Brenda) Stickney of Massachusetts. Bob was a determined man, strong-willed and frequently stubborn, as well as loving and fiercely dedicated to his family and his hobbies. After inheriting an antique high wheel bicycle from his father, he developed a passion for high wheel bicycles, joined the national wheelmen club, began collecting bicycles and attended many annual conventions. He devoted a great deal of time to amassing and curating his coin and stamp collections, as well as to his hunting club with whom he hunted for deer every year. He was an active member of the American Legion Post 87, as well as the Jackson Hose, Coin and Stamp Club, and Fish and Game Club in Dansville. Bob's life will be celebrated on Saturday, August 6 at 1 PM at the Daniel Goho American Legion, Post 87 on 34 Elizabeth Street in Dansville. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made in his name to the American Legion or Livingston County Hospice. Arrangements are by the Hindle Funeral Home Inc., 271 main St., Dansville, NY 14437.