South Pomfret, Vermont

Robert (Bob) William Hatfield died suddenly at home in South Pomfret, VT on September 7, 2023. He was born July 29, 1950 in Eugene, OR to the late Bill and Hazel (Arp) Hatfield.  While his father served in the U.S. Army, Bob's family lived in Japan, Germany, Illinois, finally settling in Huntington Beach, CA. Bob was a greatly supportive son and eldest brother in the years when his father was seriously ill. Bob attended Marina High School, and earned a BSc. in Engineering and an MSc. in Materials Science from UCLA.

Bob moved to VT in 1977 with his then wife Cassie Brown and son Davin, and shortly after, divorced. He worked at Creare Innovations, Inc. / IRAD Gage and settled in Canaan, NH with second wife, Holly Ray. That marriage ended in 1986. In 1984 he started his career at MPB Corp / Split Ballbearing / Timken Aerospace. In 1994, Bob married Elizabeth (Liz) Estabrook. In 1995 his company relocated them to Lebanon, OH. Bob returned to Timken's Lebanon, NH facility in 1998. He worked as an Aerospace Engineer / Senior Sales Specialist holding various executive positions.

Reflecting on his youth, Bob often spoke with enthusiasm of his time playing saxophone in high school and working at Disneyland as storybook characters "Rabbit" and the front end of "Ferdinand" the Bull!

Bob could be overly direct, competitive, with a Type A personality, but friends and family agree he was also thoughtful, encouraging, and fiercely protective of his loved ones - especially Liz. Together they could walk into a room of strangers and leave with many new friends. Bob was highly intelligent, laser focused, quick witted and loved being the life of the party, embellishing for the sake of a good story.

Bob was passionate about his career, happy to share his vast knowledge of business, aircraft and ball bearings. Recreationally he enjoyed running, bicycling, golfing, kayaking, salmon and fly-fishing. After retirement, he enjoyed gardening, producing vegetables - lots and lots of garlic - but was sure to include flowers and plants that would draw bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. He served on various town committees and challenged himself with diverse OSHER courses at Dartmouth. Bob and Liz had a passion for preparing and sharing tasty food, and adopting pets giving them a forever-loving home. They appreciated traveling, theater and spending time with close friends. A particular highlight was going to Barbary Coast Jazz Concerts with longtime friend "Schaffer".

Bob is survived by Liz, their pets Theo, Molly, Scout and Jem; son Davin (Ivy) and grandsons Vander and Kenver, Forest Hills, NY; brother Tom (Paula), Canyon Country, CA; sister Debbie (Ron) Wilcott, Missoula, MT; their sons Lee and Glen (Amanda). Bob will be missed by extended family and many dear friends.

A celebration of his life will be announced at a later date.

Contributions in Bob's memory may be sent to Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, P.O. Box 702, Brownsville, VT 05037, or Potter's Angels Rescue, 504 Mekkelsen Road, Barre, VT 05641.