Robert Leon Senft

Robert (Bob) Leon Senft, 89, of Auburn, NY, passed away on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at St. Mary’s Home in Erie, PA.

Bob was born in York, PA to parents Earl Willis and Ruth Marguerite (Fulton) Senft, younger brother of sister Doris Jean Stough. He had a logical mind and was especially skilled at engineering and planning. After graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State Technical Institute-York, Bob started his first job at General Electric in 1953. He was eventually promoted to manager for test equipment design in the semiconductor products department. 

Bob’s first job with GE was in Clyde, NY, where he met his wife, Barbara. After starting his family in Cayuga, Bob designed and helped build their own house in Owasco. Bob was a lifetime learner, always emphasizing the importance of education for his children and himself. When all of the GE plants closed in the 1980s, he was able to retrain and switch careers, working at Robert G Rood & Associates as a financial planner until his retirement. 

Bob loved tinkering in his workshop and was always building things. He was especially interested in acoustics and designed and built speaker cabinets as a hobby. He also enjoyed gardening, sailing, classic cars and classical music. One of his favorite indulgence was chocolate ice cream, something that he was able to enjoy until his last days.

Bob’s greatest source of pride and joy was his family. He was a devoted husband and a loving father to five children, instilling in them the importance of honesty, integrity, and kindness. Bob was a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Ruth and Earl; sister Doris Jean; and his wife, Barbara. He is survived by children Julia (Dr. Christopher) Strzalka of Erie, PA, Andrew Senft of Maryland, Anne (Thomas Malloy) Senft of Leesburg, VA, George Senft of Albany, NY and Amanda (Adam Vandenberg) Senft of North Bend, WA; sister-in-law Marianne Weaver of Clyde NY; and 3 grandchildren Alyssa, Jonathan, and Nathan. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 1st at 10am in Sacred Heart Church, Auburn. Interment will be held in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Auburn.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Julia Hospice & Palliative Care, PO Box 353, McKean, PA 16426 (www.juliahpc.com).

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