Dec. 18, 1946 –

Dec. 25, 2012

Robert L. “Bob” Hester, 66, of Attapulgus, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, at his residence.

The memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at Ivey Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Lynn Hurley officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Attapulgus Community Club, P.O. Box 201, Attapulgus, GA 39815; or to The Attapulgus United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 26, Attapulgus, GA 39815; or to The Artists’ Guild, 8225 Sealy Circle, Donalsonville, GA 39845; or to The Firehouse Center and Gallery, P.O. Box 35, Bainbridge, GA 39818.

Bob was born in Bainbridge and attended elementary school there, moving to Daytona, Fla., with his family at about the age of 11. After graduating from Mainland High School in Daytona, Bob worked part-time at Disney World in Orlando while attending Daytona Beach Community College.

After earning a B.S. degree in Marketing from Florida State University, he was employed as a purser for several years with Celebrity Cruise Lines.

Bob’s interest in computers led to long term employment with Best Buy in Gainesville, Fla., and later Hewlett-Packard in Tallahassee, Fla., and to his conducting workshops in south Georgia and north Florida, training area salespeople on new computer features.

In recent years, Bob moved to Attapulgus to live with family. While working with Hewlett-Packard computer printers, he’d learned about a printing process that lent itself to photography, and in the years prior to his death, Bob pursued the photography of plant life and the environment. A member of the Artists’ Guild, Bob exhibited his work in area craft shows and festivals, and at the Firehouse Center and Gallery in Bainbridge, where he received several awards in the Photography Division.

Bob is survived by a special friend, Irene Hawkins, of Attapulgus, and several cousins. He was preceded in death by his brother, William A. “Billy” Hester; and his sister, Virginia Ann Hester.

Ivey Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.