Robert Franklin Rush

Robert Franklin Rush, 80, passed away on September 19, 2013 at Carillon Assisted Living, Salisbury, NC. He was born on November 7, 1932 in Graham, NC to the late Jesse Edward and Louise Magann Rush. Bob grew up in Charlotte, NC, where he attended Central High School. At the behest of his brother Bill, Bob entered boxing intramurals and won the lightweight title in the North Carolina-South Carolina Golden Gloves Tournament. Bob received a boxing scholarship to attend the University of Virginia. At UVA, Bob was a member of the Beta Theta Pi; was in the Army ROTC (1950-1955); and was captain of his boxing team his senior year. After graduating UVA, Bob married Patricia Allen in 1955 in Charlotte, NC. In 1955, Bob entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant and was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1957 during his 16-month deployment to Korea. Following his discharge from the Army, Bob attended Wake Forest University Law School. After graduating law school in 1960, he practiced law in Charlotte for 32 years. After his retirement at age 59, Bob and his wife, Pat, purchased 400 acres in Mount Pleasant, NC, where he began his second career as a cattle farmer. Bob was elected the first president of the Queen City Civitan Club and was a 1993 inductee of the Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame. Bob had a wide array of hobbies over his lifetime, including woodworking, flying airplanes and sailplanes, bee keeping, and traveling. Bob is survived by his wife of 58 years, Pat of Matthews, NC; his brother Jesse Edward Rush, Jr. and wife, Dorothy of Los Angeles, CA; his brother William (Bill) Harold Rush and wife, Winni of Agoura Hills, CA; his sister Anne Rush Paul and husband, Phil of Lakewood, FL; sister-in-law Gwen Weeks Allen of Stanfield, NC; sister-in-law Jacqueline (Jackie) Allen Brown Miller and husband Ken of Charlotte; sister-in-law Eleanor Allen Helms and husband, Parks of Charlotte,NC and 19 nieces and nephews. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers-in-laws Craig Brown, Charles Young, and Paul Allen, and his sister-in-law Margaret Allen Young. In a 2004 email to his grand-nephew Gray Alston, Bob wrote, "My life is full of angels, who have been by my side when needed—especially Pat." Those angels include the staff of Carillon Assisted Living in Salisbury, NC, who not only took great care of "Mr. Bob"—they loved him. We owe a very special thanks to Bob's "top" angel, Wanda Sparks (a.k.a., "Wanda the Wonderful"). Words cannot express our gratitude for the care and love you provided Bob and the support you provided our family. A memorial service will be held at Sardis Presbyterian Church, 6100 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC at 11:00 a.m. on October 5, 2013. Bob's family will greet friends and relatives at the church's Education Hall immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to Alzheimer's Association Western Carolina Chapter, 3800 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215 or Sardis Presbyterian Church, 6100 Sardis Road, Charlotte NC 28270.