ROBERT FRANCIS DUNPHY

08/12/1929 - 03/30/2023

Robert Francis Dunphy passed away peacefully during his sleep on March 30, 2023, in Savannah, GA. He was 93 years old.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents Francis Joseph and Margaret Eleanor Dunphy, his wife Joan Taylor Shepley Dunphy, who was his college sweetheart and the love of his life for more than fifty-eight years, and his second wife Marilyn Smith Dunphy, who brought so much happiness and meaning to his later years.

Bob was born on August

12, 1929, in Boston, MA, and grew up in Watertown, a close-in suburb of the city. Upon graduation from Watertown High School, he attended Boston University where he was a proud member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and played on the BU freshman football team.

After graduation from

BU, Bob joined the Shell Oil Company. His 38-year career with Shell allowed Bob and his growing family to live in many wonderful locations, including Somerset and Swansea, MA, Cheshire and Wilton, CT, Cape Elizabeth, ME, Springfield, IL, and Houston, TX. He retired from Shell in 1990 while serving as the company’s Community and Constituent Affairs Manager. He was particularly proud of having founded the Shell Employee and Retired Volunteerism Effort (SERVE), which was awarded a special community service medal by President Ronald Reagan.

Bob served as chairman of the board of the Houston International Festival and the Voluntary Action Center and was on the board of directors of the Alley Theatre, the Bluebonnet Bowl, Communities in Schools, the Houston Council on Human Relations, Theatre Under the Stars, and Pine Forest Country Club. He also was on the advisory boards of the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Metropolitan Ministries, the Center for Public Policy and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Bob lived life to the fullest. His greatest joy was his family, who he loved beyond all measure. He also cherished the many friendships he made along the way. He was very proud of his Irish heritage and was a devoted fan of the LSU football team and Boston Red Sox. An inveterate traveler and reader, he visited 27 foreign countries and enjoyed countless books. Bob was an enthusiastic golfer and was a member of the Pine Forest Country Club, Kings Way Country Club and April Sound Country Club. He was a parishioner of Saint Mary Catholic Church in Plantersville, TX .

Bob is survived by his three sons: Robert (Bo) and his wife Debbie of The Woodlands, TX; Brian and his wife Sally of Savannah, GA; and Scott and his partner Elizabeth Langenberg of Brookline, MA. Other survivors include five grandchildren:

Lt. Colonel (USAF) Robert F. Dunphy III and his wife Amy; Laura Moon and her husband Jonathan; Dr. Taylor Dunphy and his wife Jen; Caitlin Dunphy; and Katie Hamilton and her husband Jeff. He is also survived by eleven great grandchildren: Conner Dunphy, Robert F. Dunphy IV, Genevera Dunphy, Winn Hamilton, Abigail Dunphy, Adeline Dunphy, Mineola Moon, James Hamilton, Holden Dunphy, Shepley Dunphy and Ellie Hamilton.

A memorial mass will take place later this summer, followed by interment at the Quaker Burial Ground in South Yarmouth, MA.