Robert A. Oswald, Jr. died peacefully of metastatic melanoma at his home in Wilmington, DE on March 30, 2025.
Bob was born in March of 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio, to his parents, Robert and Mary Oswald, both now deceased. He spent his formative years in Salem, Ohio, where he graduated from Salem High School in 1962. He then went to the University of Cincinnati, graduating with his bachelors and masters degrees in business administration.
While at UC, he met his future wife, Marty Peltier. They married in 1966 and had a wonderful marriage until she died of early Alzheimer’s Disease in 2015. Several years before her death, Bob created the Marty Oswald Scholarship of Classical Music at the University of Delaware in her honor.
Bob spent most of his career with The Columbia Gas System. In 1993, he retired from Columbia’s headquarters in Wilmington as a member of the Board of Directors and Chief Financial Officer.
In addition to his wife and parents, Bob was preceded in death by his sister, Louise, wife of Paul Wiggers, of Salem, who died in 2022.
Bob is survived by his daughter, Kristy, and her husband, Tim Shea of Aiken, SC, and their three boys: John Shea, a Navy helicopter pilot stationed in San Diego, CA; Brady Shea of Charleston, SC; and Tom Shea of Fort Myers, FL. He is also survived by his other sister, Kay Davis and her husband Steve, of Salem.
Finally, Bob is survived by his very close companion of ten years, Henrietta Kabia.
Bob supported many charities, both public and private. He was an avid reader and a fan of most music genres, particularly classical.
Bob spent many years playing mediocre golf, never achieving on the course the skills he created in his mind. But he enjoyed every minute of his quest and particularly the camaraderie of his golfing friends and, of course, the beer on the nineteenth hole.
Condolences