- Date Of Death: December 8, 2022
- State: North Carolina
Robert Franklin Soots Jr. of Pittsboro, North Carolina passed away peacefully on Thursday December 8th, 2022 at the age of 88.
“Bob,” or Junior as his siblings lovingly referred to him, was born in Winston Salem, North Carolina on December 30, 1933 to Robert Franklin Soots Sr. and Cleo Byrd Soots. He was married to his loving wife Sharon Soots in 1962. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Soots, daughter Shannon Kay, son-in-law Aaron Kay, and adoring granddaughter Avery Kay.
Robert is survived by his siblings, Ralph Soots, Larry Soots, and Joyce Smith. He was pre-deceased by siblings, Arnold Soots, Roger Soots, and Richard Soots. He is also lovingly remembered by their spouses and his many nieces and nephews.
Bob grew up in Midland North Carolina and loved the out-of-doors from his early childhood. He often talked fondly of a dentist, who gave him bird identification cards when he was just a little boy. He loved fishing, animals, and plants. As a young child, he witnessed the effects of pollution when a favorite fishing spot was damaged by a hosiery mill dumping dyes in the river. This shaped his world view, and his life was dedicated to environmental protection and conservation. He joined the army in October 1953 serving in the 18th airborne 54th field artillery group and he was stationed in North Carolina.
After the army, he attended NC State College where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife, Conservation Management, Master Of Science in Ecology, and his Doctorate In Zoology/Ecology. He went on to be the Chairman of the Biology department at Campbell University and spent 15 happy years developing and teaching future environmentalists, biologists and scientists. While at Campbell, he founded Raven Rock State Park in 1969 and was thrilled to be honored at its 50th anniversary celebration.
He went on to become Chief of the Environmental Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers and held subsequent positions in centralized programs and systems management. He was very proud of helping transition the Army Corps of Engineers to an electronic management system from a paper system. He loved technology, in addition to his lifelong love of the environment.
In his later years, he was an avid gardener and birdwatcher participating in the Audubon bird count every year. He often gave friends, neighbors, and family advice on plants and continued to point out and identify birds even in his last months.
