Robert Lockwood (

Robert Lockwood ("Bob") Shute, age 88 years, a Hamilton community member for 57 years, died at Mercy Franciscan at Schroder Manor on Friday, September 14, 2007 from complications following a stroke. Bob was born February 19, 1919 in Vassar, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Navy as Naval Aviator and flew PBY reconnaissance planes out of San Juan, Puerto Rico during WW II. He attained the rank of Lieutenant, j.g. In September of 1943, he was united in marriage to Madeline Sara (Sallie) O'Hara in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. After separation from the service in 1945, Bob joined General Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio as a salesman and then became a corporate pilot for General Tire. In 1950, he moved with his wife and daughter, Sallie Ann, to Hamilton, Ohio where he opened a General Tire dealership in downtown Hamilton. After several years with General Tire, Bob joined Southwestern Ohio Steel as a salesman and finally retired from that position in 1984. Bob was a dedicated citizen of Hamilton. He spearheaded the design and building of the Soap Box Derby track, helped to establish Junior Achievement in Hamilton and appeared frequently as "Santa Claus" delivering holiday gifts to the needy. He was an active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a member of St. Peter Catholic Church. Bob and Sallie and Sallie Ann lived in a home on Brookcrest Drive for several years then moved to Cleveland Avenue where Bob, an avid golfer, built and tenderly nurtured a putting green among the beds of roses in the back yard. Late in life, Bob and his wife, Sallie, moved to an independent living community at Mercy Franciscan at Schroder Manor where he became primary caregiver for Sallie who suffered from Alzheimer's disease and tended a somewhat smaller rose garden. Bob is survived by his daughter, Sallie Shute Buckingham: two grandsons, John Buckingham II and his wife, Brenda, Michael Robert Buckingham, and his wife, Cheryl, 2 great-granddaughters, Gabrielle Marie and Alyssa Michelle Buckingham and a great-grandson, Evan Oamil Buckingham. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, William and Harry and a sister, Beatrice. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, September 17, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. at Mercy Franciscan at Schroder with Father Patrick Duffy officiating. Burial will be in St. Stephen Mausoleum. Visitation will be Monday from 9:30 a.m. until time of the Mass at 10:30 a.m. at Schroder Manor. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Mercy Franciscan Benevolence Fund, 1302 Millville Avenue, Hamilton, Ohio 45013.

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Robert Lockwood (

September 14, 2007