Robert Lessman

Bob was born on February 7, 1928 in Charleroi, Penn. in the home of his parents, Eberhardt and Violet Lessman. In those days, very few babies were born in a hospital. Being that he was born almost into the great Depression, Bob never had the pleasures that later children had in the coming years. He remembers waiting in long lines for Government food and all they had most of the time was corn mush. The children never knew they were poor as everybody was the same, however they were a lot happier than they are today. Discipline and Tradition was the order of the day. As boys we could not wear long pants until we were twelve years old. Up until then we wore our old “Knickers” with long stockings. The years rolled by until the Japanese bombed “Pearl Harbor” and everyone realized that this was the real thing. I joined the “Boy Scouts” and we collected anything that would help the “War Effort”. I soon joined the “Civil Air Patrol” and learned to fly a Piper Cub at age 17 at an old Cow Pasture in Monessen, Pennsylvania. As the war was winding down I enlisted in the Army Air Force and was sent to Fifth Air Force Headquarters in Nagoya, Japan. I helped maintain Communication Equipment with all the air bases in the Pacific and Japan. I finally serve my three years and went to Allegheny Tech in Pittsburgh, I soon found a job at a well known company in Pittsburgh and I became a “Flight Simulator Tech” and was there until contract ran out. I then lost my mind (Ha, Ha) and enlisted in the Army. I went to three missile schools at Fort Bliss, Texas and this started my career with the “Hawk” Missile until I retired from the Army in Key West, Florida in 1975. My life has been a long old road in the service especially if you’re married and you go through all the separations. We held on and finally made it. I was told the other day that I was a Great, Great, Great Grandfather by my daughter in Ohio. I leave my two brothers and one sister all who live in the Pittsburgh area. I am hoping to find my wife Emily up there somewhere. Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm, Friday, February 1, 2013 at Sunset Funeral Homes-West. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home-West. Please visit our online register book at sunsetfuneralhomes.net.