Robert Lott - Obituary

obert Donald Lott, 91, of Edgewater, Md., where he lived for 49 years, passed away January 29 at Perry Point VA Hospital after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Bob was decorated World War II hero and later helped design instruments for NASA that are now traveling somewhere in space. A dedicated Shriner clown, he entertained children at the Nixon White House. Bob was born on July 1, 1924, in Forty Fort, Pa., to Raymond Lott and Cecile Baldwin Lott. He entered the U.S. Army in 1943, was assigned to the 101st Airborne, took part in D-Day in one of the glider units, and in December 1944 was wounded at the Battle of Bastogne, which was part of the Battle of the Bulge. Before being shot, while under attack by 14 German tanks, Bob found a discarded bazooka, fired it at a lead tank, disabled it, and killed or wounded ten of the enemy, allowing a number of other U.S. soldiers to escape. For his actions, Staff Sergeant Lott was awarded a Bronze Star. He was also awarded a Purple Heart. As the war ended, Bob was assigned to guide visiting Allied officers around the tunnels underneath Hitler’s Berchtesgaden hide-out. Bob returned from the war and joined Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., as a mechanical engineer designer. Over a 25-year career, he was instrumental in the design of the Mass Spectrometer aboard the Galileo probe to Jupiter, launched in 1989; two measurement instruments on the Cassini probe to Saturn and Titan, launched in 1997; and an instrument on the Nozomi probe, launched in 1998. In addition to his work, Bob was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Shrine, American Legion, DAV, Orbital Club, and 101st Airborne Association. He became well-known in the Washington, D.C., area as a Keystone Cops clown for the Shrine. He was a devoted sailor, often sailing his boat, Building V, on the Chesapeake Bay. He was an awesome swing dancer. In 1949, Bob married Minnabel Allison Lott. A loving man who showed great devotion to his family, he is survived by his wife, Min, his two children, Allison Debbe Lott Gordon (and her husband, John Gordon) of Annapolis, Md., and Robert Donald Lott Jr., (and his wife, Marylou Lott) and a grandchild, Whitney Lott, of Raleigh, N.C., and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins of all generations who have been a huge part of his life, along with his many friends, colleagues and neighbors. Memorial service arrangements are pending. If anyone wants to honor Bob, please send donations to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Wounded Warriors, or towards a cure for Alzheimer’s. Please sign our online guestbook by using the link on this page.