Robert P Prentice II

Robert P. Prentice II

1943-2021

Robert Paden Prentice II, age 78, died on July 29, 2021 at his residence.  He was born and lived in Akron, and most recently in Canton, Ohio.Bob was the son of Robert P. Prentice, Sr. and Dorothy Alwain (Hunter) Prentice.  He graduated from Kenmore High School, the class of 1961, and studied business at the University of Akron.

He married Jean Ratkowecz, an Akron teacher, on August 14, 1965 at St. Sebastian Catholic Church.  They have one son, Robert Paden Prentice III.

As a young boy in elementary school, Bob and his sister would often fly off to Florida to visit paternal grandparents during summer vacations.  For his classmates in the ‘50s, this was the kind of thing that only the most privileged enjoyed.  Traveling for young children by themselves on commercial airlines instilled a great love for planes and air travel which turned out to be his life-long career.  He, Jean and Bobby enjoyed many flights and cruises to many parts of the world.

Bob opened his first travel office, The Robert Prentice Travel Bureau, on October 19, 1970 in Akron’s Chapel Hill area.  This past October, the family celebrated 50 years in the travel business at its current location in Green, Ohio.  In earlier years, Bob was very active in hosting tours, becoming highly respected and admired for all the details and extras that he included for his customers.  He truly was a master at what he did, and was continually sought-out as being one of the best in his field.

Bob’s parents taught him to appreciate the finer things in life:  smorgasbords, gourmet food, elegant dinner parties, attending musicals, concerts, operas, design and fashion.  Who would ever sit anyone down at a holiday dinner without fresh flowers on the table, place cards and charger plates?  Christmas was his favorite holiday allowing him, with his son’s assistance, to decorate a tree emblazoned with hundreds of lights.  His last holiday dinner party included 32 long, tapered candles in his living room.  Bob loved anything and everything connected with the British Royal Family, and would have fit in perfectly with their impeccable standards.  He oftentimes mentioned how his family considered flying to London for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in the early fifties.

In recent years, health issues sent Bob to the world renown Mayo Clinic where he became a returning regular for follow-up examinations.  When he was feeling well, you could not have asked for a happier, fun-loving person to be around.  He could have you laughing over the direst of circumstances.  He, like his father, was a great tease.  Bob loved reminiscing over and over about things that he enjoyed.  He had countless friends, and mainly for these reasons, he will be greatly missed.

Robert was proceeded in death by his parents.  He leaves to mourn his loss, his wife, Jean; son, Bobby; sister, Pamela Prentice-Travis, aunt, Nancy Prentice-Sorgi, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be private for the family on Thursday, August 5, 2021.  Entombment will take place at Greenlawn Memorial Park. If so desired, memorial donations may be made to Temple Baptist Church, 1212 Greensburg Rd., Uniontown, OH 44685 in Robert’s name.                                                 

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