Robert (Bob) Carter Packard, 75, passed away suddenly at Naples Community Hospital on February 26, 2018. He was born in Boston, MA on May 6, 1942 and grew up in a loving, patriotic family in Hanover, MA. A former Human Resources executive in West Palm Beach, FL, Bob retired to Naples in 2012. He is survived by his loving wife Charlotte Taylor Packard; a sister Rebecca Maier of Naples and Marblehead, MA; a cousin Priscilla (Mrs. Brad) Munro of Duxbury MA; two nephews, Keith Hersey (Mona) and Chris Hersey of Marblehead, MA and very close friend and bicycling buddy Jack Thurmond of Boynton Beach, FL.
Bob loved sail boats, bicycles and rock and roll. A devoted Elvis fan, he was described by friends and co-workers as a “character,” with a quick wit and cheerful personality, who went out of his way to help people. He developed his love of music early and played saxophone in the band and orchestra at Hanover High School. He knew the lyrics to almost every song recorded in the 50s and 60s and had a beautiful singing voice. Always a hard worker, Bob worked his way through Northeastern University in Boston and graduated with a BS degree in business and a resume. He had joined the ROTC at Northeastern, and after graduation was soon a commissioned officer in the Army. He served as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam in 1967, where he headed up the signal corps of the Army Intelligence Unit, traveling routinely from the Delta to the DMZ. Back in the US, Bob began his career in human resources with St. Johnsbury Trucking Company in Massachusetts. In 1972 he married his first wife, Rosalie Lightner, and they moved to Duxbury. Several years later he joined The Foxboro Company in Boston in Human Resources management. Bob owned several sail boats while in Duxbury and loved to sail on Duxbury Bay and Cape Cod. Tired of cold winters and shoveling snow, he moved to Juno Beach FL, where he began his new hobby of long distance bicycling. After dabbling in real estate, he returned to human resources management with the Palm Beach County Private Industry Council. Several years later he joined Hear USA in its West Palm Beach headquarters, and was promoted to vice president of HR for the company and its more than 200 offices in the US and Canada. He stayed with Hear USA until he retired in 2010.
In 2012 he and his soon to be wife, Charlotte moved to Naples and began enjoying their retirement. Both he and Charlotte loved to travel, enjoying cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean and the Greek Islands. The highlight of their travels was a two-week tour of France in 2016