Robert "Bob" Karge

Robert "Bob" Karge passed on early on the morning of Friday, June 10th. He had suffered with vascular dementia and Alzheimers for the last 3 to 4 years. In his last week, he started having severe pain in his abdomen and it was determined that he had a perforation in his bowel. He passed peacefully while being cared for by Hospice, surrounded by his loving family.
If you knew Bob, you knew he was funny (the sick and twisted kind), crazy smart, unique, interesting, loving, and proud. Proud of his family and his time serving in the US Navy as a nuclear submarine engineer.
He was born in August of 1939 in Camden, NJ. He was mostly raised in Miami, FL. He often talked about how much he loved Miami. Riding his bike in the Everglades and eating avocados fresh off the trees. He graduated from Miami’s Jackson High School in 1957. At 18 he joined the Navy and went to a nuclear submarine school. During the Vietnam War, he helped patrol the Northern Atlantic Ocean from possible invaders. He retired after 21 years of living underwater… something to be in awe of to this day. We always joked with him that this is what made him so weird.
He was married at the age of 20 and had 4 beautiful children. He and his wife divorced in his late 20’s and he met Ann Miller soon after.
They fell in love instantly and were married within 6 months. Together they had Ally in 1973 and will have been married for 51 years this June 26th. People say marriage can be beautiful and complicated. Bob and Ann experienced it all and persevered all these many years.
After his time in the service, Bob went on to get a BS in Computer Science from Rollins College. All his children were able to attend his graduation. He was so proud of that degree. Until he retired at 65 he worked as a computer engineer. He and Ann retired to Pelzer, SC in 2008 and lived out in the country with a gaggle of Labrador retrievers that he loved so much.
He is survived by his wife, Ann, sons Rob, Tom, and Dennis; daughters Debbie and Ally; grandchildren Thomas, Cassidy, and Meghan; and 3 great-grandchildren.
We will be having a private celebration to honor Bob. In lieu of flowers, we would love to have donations made to your local Hospice, as they are an amazing organization filled with the kindest people.
If there isn't room for all the photos, we'd like to use the one of him in his tan uniform