Robert Thomas Sommers - Obituary

obert (Bob) Thomas Sommers, 91, of College Park and Greenbelt, MD, passed away on June 16, 2016, in Annapolis. Born on June 23, 1924, in Reading, PA to the late James and Anna Sommers, Robert graduated from Greenbelt high school and joined the U.S. Army during World War II as a Paratrooper in the European theater. After completing active duty as a Sergeant, he joined the National Guard where he earned the level of 1st Lieutenant. Robert retired from the C&P Telephone Company after a 43-year career as a crossbar frame technician. He was a member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Hyattsville, the Greenbelt American Legion, and the College Park Moose Lodge. An avid sports fan, Bob was a Metropolitan baseball umpire and soccer referee, but his favorite pastime was managing the shot clock for the University of Maryland men’s and women’s basketball teams. In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his three brothers, James, Richard and William Sommers. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Doris Sommers; two sons, Gary Sommers of Middletown, MD and Randy Sommers of Elizabeth City, NC; one daughter, Jody Sommers of Annapolis, MD and Atlantic Beach, FL, three grandsons, Ryan (Stephanie) Garofalo and Kyle and Sean Sommers; and two granddaughters, Meghan Sommers and Amelia Garofalo. A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 13 from 2:00 p.m. until Robert’s memorial service begins at 2:30 p.m. at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, MD. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD 21122. You are welcome to leave online condolences and tributes using the link in the left column of this page.