Robert Harold Ford

Robert Ford, 94, passed away December 26, 2025, at Westminster Winter Park, Florida. His was a long life of generous service and loyalty.

Born a Florida farm boy in 1931, at age 17 Robert joined the Navy, where, as a radio man aboard the USS Roanoke, he transcribed Morse code into the ship’s messages. He always said he had “good duty” in the Navy. He saw the Mediterranean with shore leave to Spain, France, Greece, Italy, and Turkey. Their ship passed through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea and the port at Jidda, where they hosted their Admiral's meeting with a Saudi prince and left with six sheep from the royal flock “grazing” on the forecastle of the ship.

After his four-year military service, he returned to Florida and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture from the University of Florida. In one of his graduate classes he met Ruth, who became his wife of over 60 years. He used those degrees as an agriculture teacher at Colonial and Boone High Schools in Orlando. He told stories of moving the tractor the agriculture program used by driving it between the two schools. Apparently, roads like Semoran Blvd. and Colonial Dr. were only two tracks of dirt and not busy in the 1950’s. He spent the majority of his career as an administrator at Lakeview Middle School in Winter Garden, where a building is now named in his honor. He had made it a goal to support his teachers. Judy Cook, a teacher who worked at Lakeview Middle School said, “He had a heart of gold.”

His son, Louis, recalls his dad usually leaving before sunrise in the morning and returning home often after dark. If there were an event at the school in the evening, an administrator needed to be there, and Robert was. Growing up, during vacation times, Louis traveled with Robert and Ruth within the US. He fondly remembers their trips to New York City and to Yosemite National Park in California.

Robert and Ruth hosted educators from around the world in their home over the years, and after retirement traveled to many countries (Ireland was a favorite). They often attended the yearly reunion of the shipmates of the Roanoke in Virginia.

Robert and Ruth were a dedicated “Tata and Nana,” watching their grandsons usually once a week, driving them to shop for pizza and Legos, and attending school presentations and soccer games. When watching his first grandson, instead of putting the baby to nap in his crib, Robert declared that “he sleeps better if I hold him.” At 92 Robert attended this same grandson’s graduation from Stetson University.

A big part of Robert and Ruth’s retired life together was in volunteering at Tuskawilla Presbyterian Church (Robert as Sunday school teacher for middle schoolers and sound booth technician) and for the Orange County Retired Educators Association. Robert loved and respected good teachers, and later in life, he always told people who asked that he had been “a teacher.”

Robert lived independently until May 2025, at Cascade Heights in Longwood. There he enjoyed musical presentations, the occasional Bingo game, making friends, and hopefully watching his Gators try to do better.

Robert was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth, and his brother, Alton. He leaves behind his son, Louis Ford; daughter in law, Joy Helmick Ford; grandsons, Josh Ford and Jonathan Ford; sister, Wanda Brown; brother, Glenn Ford; and long-time family friends Miranda Hoang, Henry Roberts, and many others.

A memorial service will be held at Tuskawilla Presbyterian Church, 3600 Aloma Ave, Oviedo, January 10, 2026, at 2 PM in the sanctuary and fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Tuskawilla Presbyterian Church (3600 Aloma Ave, Oviedo, FL 32765) or to the Orange County Retired Educators Association’s scholarship fund to help educate new teachers (OCREA, PO Box 464, Lake Helen, FL 32744).

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