Beloved and devoted husband, father, and grandfather, 86, of Flower Mound, Texas, died December 18, 2023, from complications of a fall.

Bob was born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1937 to letter carrier William Edward (Ed) Harmon and his wife Agnes. In 1943, Ed and Agnes moved to Florida with their five children, Edward Jr., James, Alice, Robert, and Roger. When they reached Edgewater, the family staked a claim on an acre of longleaf pine and sawtooth palmetto between US 1 and the Indian River. Ed and his older sons cleared the land and built a home.

Bob Harmon graduated from New Smyrna Beach High School in 1956. At Stetson University in 1958, he met freshman student Gayle Lee Hardin, of Orlando. The two eloped and married in March of 1959. Daughter, Cheryl followed in 1960, and son, Kenneth in 1961.  Bob left Stetson for the army in the summer of 1959, earning a position with the army special forces in the Green Berets. After Bob left the army, the young family lived in Indian Town and West Palm Beach, McAllen, TX, and New Smyrna Beach, before purchasing the Edgewater house from Ed and raising Cheryl and Ken there. During Bob's long career as a firefighter for the City of Daytona Beach, he remained active in the army reserve, rising to the rank of master sergeant. He and Gayle, who was the Edgewater town librarian, both led boy scout and girl scout troops, respectively, to ensure their children and other children in the community were introduced to nature and learned valuable skills. Bob and Gayle also helped found and served several years on the Edgewater Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad, so their neighbors could receive lifesaving care in times of need. At the same time, Bob attended night school, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Rollins College. Throughout, he maintained his love of plants, propagating thousands of camelias in his backyard and serving as a judge for American Camelia Society competitions across Florida.

After retirement, Bob and Gayle volunteered for the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, before relocating to Texas to be close their daughter Cheryl, her husband, Randy Sterling, and grandsons Christopher and Zachary. He and Cheryl enjoyed their shared talent for drawing and painting. This year's Christmas card is Bob's work.

Bob is survived by Gayle, his wife of 64 years; daughter Cheryl Sterling, of Flower Mound, Texas; son Ken Harmon, of Arlington, Virginia; and grandchildren Nathan Harmon of Redondo Beach, California; Emily Harmon Park of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Christopher Sterling of Richardson, Texas; and Zachary Sterling, of San Diego, California. Services will be private. Contributions in Bob's memory can be made to the Marine Discovery Center https://marinediscoverycenter.org/