In his father's journal, he was referred to as REV, Jr.
Daughter, Pat, in her "Gifts of Our Heritage" holds dear the bequestfr om her parents:
"Daddy was a big teddy bear of a man with a twinkling eye, a readylaug h, and a comforting hug. He and Mother met when he was in theArmy and s tationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. An Army buddy ofDaddy's, who w as also a friend of Mother's, introduced them; and theyhad their first d ate on July 4, 1942. Even though they were takenwith each other right a way, it would be two years before they weremarried. After only two we eks of marriage, Daddy had to leave forthe East Coast which was all he w as allowd to tell. Mother would notknow until much later that he had b een sent to England, then 30 daysafter D-Day he landed on the Normandy C oast of France.
Our legacy is not one of material possessions. It is one of love,secu rity, and friendship. Our parents were always there for us andwe knew t hat no matter what, we were loved and cared for. Theytaught us to lov e and care about not just family, but also others; tohave fun and enjo y the things of today; to have a sense ofresponsibility and duty. The se were not things talked about but werelived out in their daily lives a nd handed down to them from theirparents.
As beneficial as all the gifts are, the most important one was givenat a v ery early age. My earliest memories are of sitting on Mother'slap and l ooking at the beautiful and mysterious pictures in herBible; hearing D addy ask God's blessing on our meals; bedtimeprayers, and sitting in c hurch with Mother and Daddy. This love ofJesus Christ and enjoyment o f the things of God which they impartedmade me want to belong to Him a nd to want my life to be in His.Belonging to Jesus Christ ensures not o nly strength and guidance fortoday but also gives us the calm assuranc e that one day we will beunited with our heavenly Father and reunited w ith Daddy, Grandma, andthe others who have gone before us.
Our parents leave us many things. They are part and parcel of who wea re. If we are blessed, then we are grateful to pass on such alegacy a s has been given to us."
Residences & events in Bob's life:
Mattoon, IL. He served from 9/25/1940 to 7/22/1945 in the 35th InfDiv o f the US Army rising to the rank of Sgt.
Among his mother's cherished photos and memorabilia was a telegram hes ent. It simply stated:
"Ck 4 Biloxi Miss
January 31 1944
Mrs. R.E. Vangundy
Fone County 7515
Route 1
Humboldt Ill
Mother I love you.
Your son, 858 An?"
Apparently the first attempt to deliver was unsuccessful as there wasa n note added to the bottom: "Could not get any body to answer atfone c ounty 7515, January 31 1944."
Bob served in England and also fought with Patton's army throughFrance , being wounded near the German border on 11/10/1944. Hismother recei ved another telegram:
"Mrs Edna Van Gundy
Rural Free Delivery Number 1
Humboldt Ill
Regret to inform you your son Private First Class Robert E. VanGu ndy was slightly wounded in action ten November in France you willbe a dvised as reports of condition are received.
Witsell Acting, The Adjutant General"
Fortunately, he fully recovered from his wounds.
In the "50 Years Ago Today" column of the newspaper was a remembranceo f his injury: "Pfc. Robert E. VanGundy, a former resident of thiscity , has arrived at Welch Convalescent Hospital at Daytona Beach,Fla, aft er serving nine months in the European theater of war, wherehe was awa rded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat. Hehas three brot hers serving in the armed forces."
6/1952 Charlotte, NC, where he worked as a US Mail Clerk, waspromoted t o Supervisor in 1968 and retired on 5/10/1976.
10/1981 Lake Lure, NC. He moved to the lake for the last years ofhis l ife.
The cause of death was a heart attack.
