EARLVILLE – Robert “Bob” Nowack of Earlville, passed away quickly and painlessly on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 after battling the after-effects of a heart attack that occurred nearly a year before. He was 75.
Bob was an avid flyfisherman who would spend hours crafting fly masterpieces on his custom-built fly tying bench, and then eagerly await the opening of trout season in April. He loved every aspect of the outdoors, and he was also a master storyteller who enjoyed spinning yarns, operating under creative liberties to evolve the story over time to the delight and amusement of those who heard the same story more than once. He put two beautiful kids through college, launched them into successful lives, and saw them both married and become established in their own way. He was an avid volunteer at numerous organizations, and little known to others, he paid for college tuition for young adults who could not have otherwise afforded it.
Bob was born in and grew up in Rochester as the son of German immigrants. He was a precocious child who always enjoyed the outdoors. He attended college at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse and graduated with a degree in Forestry in 1959, and then earned a Masters Degree in Forestry from Yale University in 1960. His marriage to Susan Spencer resulted in two children, Laura and Harry. He came to live in Earlville through his work as a forester at Rogers Conservation Center in Sherburne. He was a dedicated civil servant for New York State in the Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, Transportation, Labor, and Taxation and Finance before retiring in 1993 as a System Analyst for the Department of Taxation and Finance. His keen intellect and dislike of complicated and unworkable systems provided him the unique ability to make the complicated very workable. He had a gift for writing memorandums that exposed the absurdity of the accepted, departmental conventional wisdom and that revealed to the reader in a humorous fashion the one “right” solution. Many of these well-penned and amusing memos were kept and shared at his retirement banquet by his co-workers, and some of them were forwarded to department of taxation offices in other states where they were similarly well-received.
In his retirement, Bob enjoyed the outdoors on his farm where he could be found hunting, wood cutting, or mowing his fields when he was not fishing somewhere else. In his later years, hunting was his excuse to be outside in the woods, and woodcutting, walking the streets of Earlville with his devoted pet companion BooBoo, and workouts at the Chenango Water Exercise Group were his exercise. He returned to his forestry roots through his involvement with The American Chestnut Foundation, an organization devoted to restoring the blight-decimated American Chestnut to the American forest. His involvement with Northern Nut Growers spurred him to establish an orchard of heartnut trees on his farm with the intention of demonstrating the commercial viability of raising nut crops in the cold Central New York climate. To close friends and family, the endeavor was jokingly referred to as “Bob’s Nut Farm.” But through selection of hardy specimens, his orchard is thriving and consists of many trees just beginning nut production. He had plans to begin back-crossing the heartnut trees with Butternut, another native American species threatened by blight, to ensure the continued survival of the Butternut trees that grew wild on his farm. He told his sister the day before his death that he “couldn’t wait to get back on the tractor at his farm.” He assisted many friends and family with finding good quality hardwood lumber that has been turned into many exquisitely crafted furniture and cabinetry projects.
Bob was an avid reader and generous supporter of the local Earlville Free Library, and served faithfully on the library Board of Directors for many years during his retirement. He was a notable fixture at the annual library book sale every year, and if you were a parent buying books for your child at the annual sale, you probably remember the extra children’s book he gave you for free. He could also be spotted in the library room at the computer checking his emails or stirring up trouble in a humorous way on various message boards. He was a major believer that the library and computer services were a cornerstone to the village and essential for the children of Earlville. Bob was also a volunteer instructor at the Chenango Water Exercise Group and assisted many people with exercises during their rehabilitation. His support and involvement here and at other organizations will be missed.
Bob is survived by his sister, Jean (Nelson) Sanger of Moreland Hills, Ohio; daughter Laura Nowack (Kenneth Johnson) of Brewster; his son Harry Nowack (Mary Wade) and grandchildren Hannah, Erin, and Jordan of Waterford; his semi-adopted son John (Candy) Duwel and their children Ida Mae, Johnny, and Charles of Canastota; and his ex-wife Susan Spencer of Newport Richey, Fla. He was predeceased by his brother, John Nowack.
A wake will be held at Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 3 Preston Street in Earlville, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and the funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. at Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home on Sunday.
Donations in lieu of flowers are requested to be made in Bob Nowack’s name to the Earlville Free Library, 4 North Main Street, Earlville, NY 13332; or to the The American Chestnut Foundation, New York Chapter, 23 Carriage Circle, Williamsville, NY 14221; or to the Chenango County SPCA, 6160 County Route 32, Norwich, NY 13815. Those attending the wake or the funeral service may bring any donation with them at that time.
To send a condolence or sign the Book of Memories online go to www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com.