Raver, Robert “Bob”

29 Apr Raver, Robert “Bob”

Robert D. Raver, 86, of Dickerson, MD, passed away on May 21, 2019, at Holy Cross Hospital in Germantown, MD.

Born on August 16, 1932, in Upperco, MD, he was the beloved son of the late F. Eugene Raver, Sr. and Hazel Larue Alban Raver.

Bob was a 1953 graduate of Hampstead High School and a 1957 graduate of the University of Maryland. He was a member of the Terrapins wrestling team which won the Southern Conference championship in 1952. He had a passion for singing and won a radio talent contest in 1935 at the age of three.

Growing up on the family farm, Bob developed an interest in raising cattle and gardening, winning first place at the Maryland 4-H Fair with his first steer “Roscoe” in 1947. He served his country in the Army Reserves in 1958, just after beginning his career as an Extension Agent for the Agricultural Services in Montgomery County in 1957. Bob retired from the Extension Service in 1987.

In 1960, he travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland as a chaperone for the 4-H Dairy Judging Team. He was a world traveler and visited Africa more than fifty times with his good friend Paul Canham. Bob was well-known for growing Iris flowers at his home and had over 500 varieties, some of which were hybrids developed by him. Amazingly he knew all of their botanical names. Bob was named “Man of the Year” in 1990 for introducing no-till crop production to Maryland farmers in the 1960’s. He was inducted into the Montgomery Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2011, and in 2017, was recognized for more than thirty years of volunteer service to the Montgomery County Fair. In 2018 Bob was honored for fifty years of no-tillage agriculture in Montgomery County.

He is survived by sisters, Helen Lee Matthews of Hampstead, MD, Gail Buckler of Dover, DE, and Joy (Sterling) Martin of Shrewsbury, PA; one brother, Carlos E. Raver of Hampstead, MD; and numerous nieces and nephews. Bob is also survived by a dear friend Lou Gloyd, special neighbors Connie and Jerry Stine and caregivers Calvin Nyakairu and Mary Mbugua.  Bob was preceded in death by brothers Donald, Eugene and Thomas Raver and sister Janice Raver, as well as sisters-in-law Beverly Raver, Shirley Raver and Dottie Raver.