Robert Michael Castle

Robert Michael Castle
Born August 27, 1946
Passed away October 2, 2020

Rob Castle, aged 74, passed away peacefully at home, with his sons, Joshua and Justin, and his wife, Gigi, sitting with him. Other survivors of Rob include his sisters Dianne Mullins (NE), Kathy Allen (ID) and his step brother Tim Shamburg (IL) as well as 3 aunts and uncles on his father’s side and many cousins on both sides of his family. These cousins are scattered across the United States.

Rob was born in Champagne Urbana, Illinois. He married Gigi Bender in 1973 in Wheaton, Il. They lived in Illinois, where their sons Joshua (1978) and Justin (1982) were born. They moved to Maryland in 1984, Wiesbaden, Germany in 1989, and Springfield, Virginia in 1998. He was an accountant and CPA by profession, retiring early from DoDEA but continuing to work in the accounting field for several more years, for both government agencies as well as private accounting firms. He was a member of the West Springfield Rotary Club for several years when he first moved
to Springfield.

He loved his Chicago sports teams, especially the Chicago Cubs. Many of our family trips were to various cities for baseball and to visit with family. He served in the Army from Feb. 27, 1967
to Dec. 19, 1968, at bases in Texas and Alaska. He loved the game of golf, playing whenever or wherever he could, and after retirement was able to take trips to South Carolina with family and friends, and to Ireland with friends to play.

He briefly tried sheep farming in southwest Georgia and enjoyed his time in and around Americus, GA. He loved to travel with friends and family – hiking down the Grand Canyon with his
friend Dale, going to Costa Rica with aunts and uncles, going to China with Gigi, as well as ski trips in Europe and to Colorado. His last big trip was to Canada in 2019 with Gigi, his sister Kathy and her husband Steve. They were able to travel to the location of his current favorite Canadian TV show, filmed south of Calgary, and to Banff National Park and Lake Louise.

After struggling with diabetes since his early 20’s (he loved to eat) and heart problems since his early 50’s, he survived one form of cancer but after a valiant fight, could not survive the last form (lymphoma).

At his request, his ashes will be interred in the home town of his parents. He will be buried next to his mother. Due to Covid travel restrictions, the burial was delayed until a time when all of his family could gather together. This gathering will take place in Ridge Farm, Illinois, on August 27, 2021, at the Crown Hill Cemetery, at 1:00 pm CDT, followed by a gathering in Ridge
Farm at the restaurant called the Ridge. All are welcome.