Robert E. Rennoe, 85

Published 4:04 pm Thursday, January 27, 2011

JANUARY, Jan. 27 – Robert Earl Rennoe, 85, passed away Monday, January 24, 2011 in Farmville. Born May 1, 1925, to Jimmie T. Thrailkill, he was raised by his maternal grandparents until the age of seven when he was adopted by Clyde and Marie Rennoe of Alexandria.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on April 30, 1943, one day shy of his 18th birthday. After basic training in Bainbridge, MD and torpedo school in Newport, RI, he was stationed at Alameda Naval Station in California. He served on the USS Belleau Wood in the South Pacific until she was hit by a Kamikaze on October 30, 1944, near Leyte in the Philippines. Seaman First Class Rennoe was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After recuperating on the hospital ship Solace, he was stationed on the USS Independence until his discharge from the Navy in 1946.

Mr. Rennoe returned to Alexandria and graduated from George Washington High School. He met Mary Yarnall as she was finishing nursing school at Alexandria Hospital, and they were married in 1948. They had two daughters, Robin and Teresa, and moved to Front Royal in 1963. Mr. Rennoe worked for C&P Telephone for more than 30 years, retiring in 1982. He and Mary were married 34 years before her death in 1982. In 1985 he married Shir Carbaugh who also preceded him in death in 2001. They enjoyed living in Long Hanborough, England, from 1986 to 1989 and traveled throughout Europe during that time.

He was active in many volunteer activities in Front Royal, including the Men's Club at Calvary Episcopal Church, Samuels Library, Warren Memorial Hospital, the Senior Center, and volunteering to read to children at E.W. Morrison Elementary School. He enjoyed taking English courses at Lord Fairfax Community College and wrote many short stories about baseball, growing up in Alexandria and enjoying the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley.

During the last five years of his life he lived with his daughter and son-in-law, Teresa and Bill Irish, first in Atlanta, GA, and then in Farmville. During this time, he made two of the great friends of his life, Henrietta Khamusali and Wendy Ownby, who loved him like family and made his days happier. A lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, he threw out the first pitch during a spring training game in March 2008.

In addition to the Irishes, he is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Robin and Richard Prior; four grandchildren, Kelly Atkins Charles, Brooke Atkins, Evan Prior and Kevin Cabaniss; a great-granddaughter, Daphne Charles; and many loving friends.

A memorial service in celebration of a happy life well lived will be held at Calvary Episcopal Church in Front Royal on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Episcopal Church, PO Box 62, Front Royal, VA 22630; the Navy League of the United States, Attn: Development Office, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22201; or Boys' Home, 306 Boys' Home Rd., Covington, VA 24426.

Maddox Funeral Home, Front Royal, is serving the family.