Author Topic: R.I.P.: Robert Pence (Read 2942 times)

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #35 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:15:58 PM »

I haven't been a contributor to UO for years, but I really felt like I should visit and pay my respects to Robert Pence.

I met Robert on two occasions...once during a UO meet in Dayton so many years ago and another time who knows when or where. From my limited contact with him I knew that he was very friendly, knowledgeable, and a hell of a photographer. He had seen more than I'll likely see in my lifetime. I could tell he wasn't so well back then, eight or so years ago, by his voice. I just hoped he'd be around long enough to continue to contribute his great insights and photography, which he did.

He is a UO icon. If ever this site develops a Hall of Fame, he should certainly be in it.

R.I.P. Robert Pence....

CBC · « **Reply #36 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:26:53 PM »

I've been busy all weekend and just saw this saddening news now. I never had the chance to meet him personally, but I will miss him here on UO. He was a great photographer and an awesome story teller.

Goodbye, Mr. Pence

ink · « **Reply #37 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:39:08 PM »

I am extremely saddened to hear this news. I met Rob several times on a couple UO tours and twice when he showed me around Fort Wayne. The last three years I received his Christmas cards, which he made himself and always featured a wonderful holiday or winter scene on the front that he had taken. I guess this Christmas I cannot expect a card.

Rob recently sent me a PM after I posted photos of Rochester, Minnesota, just checking-in to make sure that I was not in town because I had family at the Mayo Clinic. How nice that he would take the time to do something like that.

I am thankful that I knew him and will miss Rob. Fort Wayne will miss him too.

OTR · « **Reply #38 on:** December 17, 2012, 02:23:35 AM »

RIP

Very sad to hear of this loss. I very much admired Robert - his beautiful work and kind manner. I remember how he would shovel snow early in the morning and clear his sidewalk before most of his neighbors were even awake. I will think of him when I board my next train or shovel snow in the early morn.

I remember he once suggested we abolish state lines and reorder the country around watersheds. What an exemplary man - he will be missed!

surfohio · « **Reply #39 on:** December 17, 2012, 02:27:36 AM »

Will miss reading your posts Robert.

Maximillian · « **Reply #40 on:** December 17, 2012, 02:43:04 AM »

Never got a chance to meet Robert but I really enjoyed his stories and photographs here on UO. RIP Robert Pence you will be missed...

Hts121 · « **Reply #41 on:** December 17, 2012, 02:49:58 AM »

Inaugural member of the UrbanOhio Hall of Fame?

Vast knowledge of the issues we discuss here, a wonderful memory, and a rapier wit. Good man.

MyTwoSense · « **Reply #42 on:** December 17, 2012, 02:58:26 AM »

Quote from: Hts121 on December 17, 2012, 02:49:58 AM

Inaugural member of the UrbanOhio Hall of Fame?

Vast knowledge of the issues we discuss here, a wonderful memory, and a rapier wit. Good man.

I second this!

Jeffery · « **Reply #43 on:** December 17, 2012, 02:59:34 AM »

Oh no!!!! I was wondering why I didnt see him on here much....this is so sad!

smith · « **Reply #44 on:** December 17, 2012, 03:22:29 AM »

Quote from: MyTwoSense on December 17, 2012, 02:58:26 AM

Quote from: Hts121 on December 17, 2012, 02:49:58 AM
Inaugural member of the UrbanOhio Hall of Fame?

Vast knowledge of the issues we discuss here, a wonderful memory, and a rapier wit. Good man.

I second this!

Third!

Quote from: UrbanSurfin on December 15, 2012, 09:27:34 AM

I met Robert only once (at a Columbus forum meet five or six years ago), but feel an ache right now as if I've lost a good friend. And I guess I have. I always felt validated if he made a nice comment on a photo thread of mine; I always felt soothed if I was in a heated debate on some topic and he jumped in and put things in perspective in his gentle, yet authoritative (and sometimes acerbic) way; I always felt grateful -- and a little bit smarter -- when I saw and read his knowledgeable posts. If any one person was the soul of UrbanOhio, it was Robert. I will miss him.

Completely agree on the feeling of validation whenever he made a nice comment on my pics.

GCrites80s · « **Reply #45 on:** December 17, 2012, 05:02:20 AM »

You know, I kinda had a sense that something may have been wrong with him while I was making breakfast some time last week without knowing anything. Strange how that sort of thing works.

mrnyc · « **Reply #46 on:** December 17, 2012, 05:27:55 AM »

this is such sad news -- rob you will be dearly missed.

as we all know so well, the spirit of his uo contributions were just the ideal.

and on a personal note, my grandfather worked at ohio engineering building ohio's roads, highways and the turnpike for many years and i am forever greatful that rob helped me identify all the old road graders and other equipment my grandfather used.

AJ93 · « **Reply #47 on:** December 17, 2012, 07:20:43 AM »

I haven't really had a chance to post something on here, but I feel very sad hearing about this. I never knew Rob except through this site, but I was a fan of his wit, his pictures, and his experiences.

I truly hope someone maintains his website, as it's a wonderful collection of photos, and there's some wonderful historical shots as well.

eastvillagedon · « **Reply #48 on:** December 17, 2012, 07:29:12 AM »

I hope his excellent photothreads can remain here for the time being (don't know how that will be handled by the person in charge of his affairs). Here's a picture of Grand Central Terminal in his honor--

unusualfire · « **Reply #49 on:** December 17, 2012, 10:08:45 AM »

RIP: Robert Pence

MayDay · « **Reply #50 on:** December 17, 2012, 12:49:42 PM »

Hi everyone, first - thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts; it may not always seem like it but one of the goals of this forum is to create a sense of 'community'. It's great that Rob found a place here and that all of you came to appreciate what he brought to us with his personality and photos. We're hoping to contact Rob's family/friends and share this thread with them so they can see how many lives he touched, even though he never met some in person.

Also, the Admins agree that it's only appropriate that Rob be honored for his contributions - it may take some time, so please bear with us. Thanks again.

jdm00 · « **Reply #51 on:** December 17, 2012, 12:59:08 PM »

Sad, sad news. He will be greatly missed.

musky · « **Reply #52 on:** December 18, 2012, 07:53:19 AM »

Oh no

Rest in peace, dear Robert

skorasaurus · « **Reply #53 on:** December 18, 2012, 12:14:43 PM »

Damn. Rest In Peace. I also enjoyed reading his insights and seeing his photography throughout the later half of the 20th century.

BallHatGuy · « **Reply #54 on:** December 18, 2012, 01:09:16 PM »

So sorry to hear this. Met Rob a few times on the Urban Ohio meets and will miss his posts.
- Dan

ryanlammi · « **Reply #55 on:** December 18, 2012, 01:19:27 PM »

Never met him, but I can tell he was a helluva guy. You can tell how much he meant based on this community alone. And most of us never met him.

edale · « **Reply #56 on:** December 18, 2012, 01:28:40 PM »

Very saddened to hear of Rob's passing. I too felt like I "knew" Robert through his postings on UO, and I always appreciated the wisdom he brought to this forum. I'll miss his commentary on the things that were important to him and the sense of historical perspective he often provided. And of course I'll miss his photos, with his (exceptionally distinct and neat) hand written captions.

You are missed, Robert.

Clueless,Ohio · « **Reply #57 on:** December 18, 2012, 01:51:25 PM »

Thanks Rob for all your kindness

TheCOV · « **Reply #58 on:** December 18, 2012, 02:34:15 PM »

ColDayMan · « **Reply #59 on:** December 20, 2012, 03:24:14 AM »

I was on vacation in Florida when I received news of his passing. Rob was one of the first members of this website and I believe he was the first non-Ohioan (even before he joined SkyscraperPage). I'll never forget the first time I met him at one of the UO meets and he was one of THE most knowledgeable, kind, and passionate individuals I've ever met in life. He attended almost every UO meet we've had (Cleveland subways, Dayton, Columbus, etc) and always had a smile on his face and a large camera. To say he's a forum icon is like saying water flows from Niagara Falls. Rob was the very essence of this website. I am beyond sad at his passing yet I'm so happy for his suffering with cancer is now over.

May he rest in peace and hopefully we'll reflect on the absolutely wonderful life he lived.

mkeller234 · « **Reply #60 on:** December 21, 2012, 04:35:29 AM »

It's unanimous, Robert Pence was a special person.

My contact with Rob was much like anyone else's, some discussion on the forums and some chats through personal messages. Although I have never met him, his sincerity, warmth and depth left a firm imprint. Rob and I had a common interest in bicycles, this year he very graciously sent me a book on the subject. Looking back, I was unaware of his struggles with disease and feel a little bit guilty.

RIP, to a GREAT man!

tcj1985 · « **Reply #61 on:** January 07, 2013, 06:06:07 AM »

Just saw this! What a great guy! So sorry to hear this.....

rockandroller · « **Reply #62 on:** January 07, 2013, 06:48:30 AM »

Oh no. Just saw this as well. I was offline for much of december as I had foot surgery. So sad to hear of his passing. He was such a smart and amazing man and fantastic contributor to our UO community. May he rest in peace.

Boreas · « **Reply #63 on:** January 07, 2013, 07:53:26 AM »

Robert wrote with such intensity and passion on subjects like history and travel that he loved so much. He certainly was a kind person. I hope his family members get to read this thread and see how much we appreciated him. I hope he went peacefully.

urbanpreppie05 · « **Reply #64 on:** January 09, 2013, 07:54:14 AM »

I just caught this...he was able to show exactly how I felt about the world- cities, the country, rail into some amazing photographs. He will be missed.

Vince_908 · « **Reply #65 on:** February 14, 2013, 04:01:36 AM »

Even though I am late to this discussion, I feel I should comment. I just found out today about Bob dying. It didn't surprise me to come across this news, but it still hit me with a jolt. I knew Bob Pence from my years living in Fort Wayne. For most of my seven years there, I lived in West Central, which was his neighborhood and one of the best neighborhoods anywhere. Bob was the kind of person who was always present when I was talking with him, and I always appreciated his including me in his various photo documentation projects. I'm sad that I'll never see him again and am glad to have known him. His death is certainly a loss for the UO World, which reminds me that once, while chatting with Bob at one of the annual Gay Lesbian Dinner Dances in Fort Wayne, I asked him for some photography advice. One thing he told was that a good thing to keep in mind when taking pictures is what you want the pictures to accomplish. Because he knew I was living in Cleveland, he suggested I consider the work of MayDay as something to aspire to.

MayDay · « **Reply #66 on:** February 14, 2013, 01:20:28 PM »

Thank you, Vince - that's incredibly humbling.

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Author Topic: R.I.P.: Robert Pence (Read 2942 times)