Obituary
John Robert Eagan III passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28, 2024 in Orlando. He was 98.
Bob was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1926 to Margaret Williams Eagan and John Robert Eagan Jr. Bob was the oldest of three boys. The family moved to the Tampa area while Bob and his brothers Bill and David were young, and it was there that the boys spent their formative childhood years hunting, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors during a time when much of Florida was an unspoiled wilderness.
In 1943 Bob enlisted with the United States Army and joined the Army Air Force, the precursor to the United States Air Force. During his military tenure, Bob was stationed throughout the southwest including bases at Las Vegas, Roswell, and Tucson where he trained as an aircraft gunner for the new Boeing B-29 heavy bomber. Bob was assigned to a crew and was scheduled to ship out to the Pacific when the war ended and his unit was demobilized.
After being honorably discharged from the military, Bob enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he earned a law degree. In the 1950’s he moved to the then-small town of Orlando where he began practicing law before serving as the Orange County Solicitor during the early 1960’s. In 1968, Bob was elected as the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit encompassing Orange and Osceola Counties, a position he held for twenty years until he retired in the late 1980’s. During his time in office, Bob made many lifelong friends, and many of his colleagues at the State Attorney’s office went on to become prominent members of Orlando’s legal community.
Following his retirement from the State Attorney’s office, Bob practiced civil law but retained a passion for public service and therefore returned to the Ninth Circuit State Attorney’s office beginning in the early 2000’s where he handled charging, veteran’s court hearings, and mental health proceedings. Bob would finally retire from practicing law at the age of 91.
Bob is survived by his wife, Sarah, their children Aaron and Ellie, and Aaron and Ila’s children Liam and Leia; his daughter Margaret, and Margaret and Larry’s children Neil, Nathan, Nick and Henry; his daughter Mary, and Mary and Bobby’s children Jimmy and Georgianna; his twin children Sean and Shannon, six great grandchildren, and doggies Raleigh, Poppy Coco, and Honey.
Bob will be remembered by his family as a loving husband, father and grandfather and by his colleagues in the legal field as a trusted mentor and friend.
Bob had a lifelong passion for Florida wildlife conservation. The family kindly asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Bob’s name to any of the following conservation charities:
Florida Wildlife Federation: https://floridawildlifefederation.org/donate/
Coastal Conservation Association: https://ccaflorida.org/product-category/donations/
Florida Audubon Society: https://act.audubon.org/a/donate-florida?ms=digital-fund-web-website_fl-topbutton&aud_path=/ .
The memorial services for John Robert Eagan III will be held on Thursday, October 17, 2024 starting at 3:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, 142 E Jackson St, Orlando, FL 32801
In comes Bob! He was wonderful and the charges were dropped.
Such a caring and thoughtful man. We so appreciated it! We will never forget his kindness and compassion.