Robert Earl Germond, Jr., died April 19 of a progressive lung condition. Bob is survived by Caroline Kannenberg Germond, his wife, ski buddy, and travel companion. Also surviving are his half-siblings, Debbie Miktus and Jerry Germond, sons Robert E. Germond, III, and Keith Germond, daughter Kimberly Temple (Scott), daughter-in-law Jackie Germond, grandchildren Amanda and Nicole Nochtum, Robert IV and Daniel Germond, Russell and Paige Temple, as well as several cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Earl Germond, his mother, Irene Cox, stepfather Ed Cox, and half-sister Theda Rhodes.

Born and raised in Trenton, home to the Roebling Steel Corporation, Bob worked there as a combustion technician early in his career. Attending evening classes at Drexel University, he earned a B.S. degree in electrical engineering and spent most of his professional career applying his expertise with the Department of Defense. At the Naval Air Engineering Center in Lakehurst, NJ, he designed the circuits that controlled catapult systems on aircraft carriers. Later, with the Information Systems Command at Fort Monmouth, NJ, he managed computer contracts for the Army and Joint Services.

Bob loved to travel and seized every opportunity to do so for business as well as leisure. One of his last trips took him through the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal. He and Caroline were fans of festivals—seafood, music, poetry, and art..

An expert skier, Bob came down the mountain with style and grace, and he maintained this passion into his 80s. During his last 20 years of playing in the snow, he and Caroline volunteered as Mountain Ambassadors at Killington Resort in Vermont.

Photography was another life-long interest of Bob’s. He enjoyed curating images of travel and family events to share in forms and media that evolved with the available technology, from loose-leaf photo albums to DVDs to narrated videos that he posted online. In spite of Bob’s typical reserve, he delighted in connecting with people and sharing his experiences on social media.

Bob was inquisitive by nature, always reading and acquiring new skills. He taught himself to type, build websites, and make sushi. He experimented with time-lapse and infrared photography. Bob’s pandemic projects included learning to make kombucha and wine, scouting fields where he could fly his drone, matting and framing his photographs, tending to his fruit trees and figuring out how to preserve the harvest by canning it.

Bob’s family is planning a celebration of his life at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to The Carter Center (www.cartercenter.org) or to a charity of the donors' choice.

The family is grateful to Ocean County Cremation Services for their support: Services and Obituaries (oceancountycremationservice.com) .