Obituary
Robert (Bob) G. Hutchins, passed away May 16, 2024, after a 14-year journey with dementia, with his beloved wife of 52 years, Anne (Wysocki), by his side.
Bob’s life was one of survival, as he and two brothers, were placed in foster care when he was four years old. When Bob was 12, they went to live with another brother, Bill, and wife, Faith, on North Lake, in Otter Lake, MI. He loved playing baseball during those years.
Bob graduated from Millington High School in 1959, and proudly served in the Army the next three years. He later attended Flint Junior College and graduated from Eastern Michigan University, where he met Anne. He was the first in his family to graduate from a university.
Bob loved teaching English classes at Mott Adult High School in Flint, MI. He also enjoyed working with special needs residents at Lapeer State Home. Eventually, he retired from the Department of Social Services in Flint.
Bob often was happiest when he was Uncle Bob to many nieces and nephews, especially on trips to Chicago, Colorado, Disney World & Niagara Falls. Bob and Anne also enjoyed traveling to Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, the Caribbean, France, Hawaii, Italy and over half the other US states. Riding mules in the Grand Canyon and biking down a Hawaiian volcano brought challenges and smiles.
Bob loved bowling, double Pinochle, downhill skiing, jigsaw puzzles, New York Times crossword puzzles, Rummikub, running, Scrabble and walking. He was an avid tennis player for 40 years and enjoyed watching NFL and college football on TV. While living in Davison, MI, he was a volunteer firefighter.
Known for his “million dollar smile”, Bob was the most supportive husband to Anne’s careers, never complaining about the long hours and different shift schedules. They so enjoyed their homes in Grand Blanc and Swartz Creek, MI.
After 9/11, they attended a meeting that launched “My Heart Supports the Troops”, a Burton, MI, group that mailed weekly packages to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a 10-year joy to pack those boxes, especially to great nephews Jake and Kyle.
In 2010, Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. After spending many vacations on Sanibel Island, FL, Bob and Anne discovered The Villages, FL, and bought a cottage home in the Village of Sanibel, in 2012. They enjoyed many activities with a beach club, two Michigan clubs, weekly driveway parties and events at the squares. He spent hours on the porch, waving to neighbors as they zoomed by their home in golf carts.
Following a stroke, at 80, he entered a Memory Care community. He passed while at the remarkable Cornerstone Hospice, in The Villages. ‘Special thanks to niece Eviline for her guidance while on this dementia journey. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, William and Dorothy, and siblings Myra, Chuck, Bill, Don and Tom; nephews Kevin, Kim and Lonnie and niece Gertrude.
A small, private ceremony will take place in 2025, for his ashes to be interred at the National Cemetery-Bushnell, FL. Contributions can be made to Operation Shoebox, 8360 E. Hwy 25, Belleview, FL 34420, or My Heart Supports the Troops, PO Box 320 112, Flint, MI 48532.
Bob was a gentle soul, and he was very lucky to have you, Anne. Rest in Peace my friend, until we meet again.
Terry Jordan
Charlene and Alex
Larry and Claire Furman
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Bob often scored in the expert category in Scrabble, with over 200 points (2 players).
L-R: FL neighbors George & Anne T, Anne, Bob & sister-in-law Julie. Yikes! Over 14,000 feet, at Pike’s Peak, CO.
Maybe around our 25th wedding anniversary…in the 1990s?
L-R: Anne & Bob, Bill & Faith.
Celebrating 50 wonderful years as ol’ married folks!
Bob loved cheering for Michigan State teams!