Robert L. Haigh

Robert L. Haigh of Bella Vista, Ark., passed away in his home Sunday evening, Oct. 5, 2014, of a stroke at the age of 95. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1919. Bob and his surviving wife, Mary, had lived and raised a family in Peoria, Ill., where he served as co-owner of Mason W. Haigh & Sons, Industrial Sales and Engineering Offices until shortly before he retired to Bella Vista, Ark., in 1980. He was a WWII Army Air Corps veteran, a seasoned private and commercial licensed pilot, and avid golfer, and a die-hard Chicago Cub fan. In Peoria, he was a very active Mason in the Masonic Lodge and was one of the Shriner's Flying Nobles who flew burn patients to the various hospitals specializing in burn treatments. He has been a longtime member of the local BV chapter of the Quiet Birdmen. Bob loved people and never tired of telling stories. He served with his wife in the earlier years in Bella Vista on Bella Vista Community Church committees, helping, feeding and serving those in need. He had a deep appreciation for beauty and loved Northwest Arkansas. He never tired of the natural beauty of the area. In his young adulthood before the war, he traveled across the United States, and frequently commented that this was the most beautiful place in the country, and his years spent here were the happiest years of his life. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Haigh; two daughters, Marcia Mae of Bella Vista and Robyn Tuck of Delores, Colo.; three grandchildren, Shad Purcell and his wife, Traci, of McKinney, Texas, Jason Werth and his wife, Marnie, of San Diego, Calif., and Nichole Berdzar and husband, Colin, of Delores, Colo.; and great-grandchildren, Skyler, Trinity, and Tristyn Purcell. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. at the chapel in Bella Vista Community Church in Bella Vista, Ark. Arrangements are by the Bella Vista Funeral Home & Crematory. Online condolences may be made at www.funeralmation.com.