Robert Moran Obituary

Aloha Bob!
Going out with a bang on New Year's Eve 2023, Bob spent his last earthly day at home with many of the people and things he loved best. Bob always looked forward to a good party and approached his life, despite its occasional challenges, as one long and happy one. Born in Macon, Georgia to his parents, Nelle and Tommy, and later uprooted to Bay City, Michigan, Bob embodied Southern hospitality tempered by a good dose of self-preservation. Unceremoniously abandoned by his father, Bob never took for granted his idyllic upbringing at his grandparents Bob and Clover's tourist court where he spent his early days with unlimited access to the soda fountain, black and white malted milkshakes, and backyard adventures with his dog and Shetland ponies. He could often be found in the trees overhanging the highway "up to no good" or pulling pranks on his sisters Daryl and Debora and cousins Nancy and Cookie. At 10, all of that changed. Transplanted to a tough immigrant neighborhood in the North, Bob quickly dropped his Southern drawl and learned to defend himself with his fists (or a brick if necessary). Not one to back down, Bob earned the respect of his fellow students and their friendship long after his school days ended. Bob put himself through college with any number of odd jobs, including a stint on the railroad, rightly tailored for his life-long sense of adventure. After graduating from Tulane University, he taught "rocket science" at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. While there, he met the love of his life and, in his oft repeated words, "the most beautiful woman in the world," his wife of 58 years, Judith. Pursuing new opportunities, Bob and Judith moved no less than 15 times across the States until settling in Hawaii. Bob came to the islands with IBM to sell room-sized computers that did relatively little computing. Later, he went into business for himself and became an independent (maybe a bit too independent for some) self-made man. Bob never tired of the beauty of the islands and its people. Dusk was his favorite time of day, and there was rarely a sunset he didn't admire with friends and family, which now included his son Mark, daughter Kara, son-in-law Francois, grandson Finn, and granddaughter Elodie. His curiosity of the natural world and enthusiasm for the outdoors was infectious as was his love of surfing, sailing, skiing and sightseeing. It took him and his family all over the world. A voracious reader and sports fan, Bob regularly reached out, whether in person or over the phone, to share the latest mystery or history novel he read, watch a football game together, or just check in. With an irreverent sense of humor, Bob enjoyed nothing more than a good laugh often at the expense of someone else or at the antics of his favorite comic strips, Calvin & Hobbes and Hagrid The Horrible. One could say his personality was a unique combination of the two, but this would ignore his many other traits that made him unapologetically himself. He was affectionate and gave some of the best hugs. He welcomed strangers, rooted for the underdog, and was civic-minded with a strong sense of justice. He could be generous, yet like many of his depression-era contemporaries, frugal to a fault. Duct tape held together his ski pants as well as his favorite convertible car tops. There was rarely a roadside bulky item that didn't catch his eye, and his children knew all too well that "if you snoozed, you'd lose." Underlying all of this, was a deep love of family and faith. A life-long church member, Bob's faith formed his indomitable spirit, and it is this spirit that lives on and that will be remembered.
Arrangements Provided By: Diamond Head Mortuary Chapel