Robert G. Oakley

Robert Gene Oakley, 93, of Lexington died Friday, January 5, finishing up a good long life at The Waterford in Mansfield.

Bob was born July 28, 1930, in Ashland, coming home to a farmhouse on Claremont Avenue. He graduated from Ashland High School in 1949, then served in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1954. He returned to Ashland to raise his family and had a successful career with General Motors.

Bob loved anything on wheels: scooters, motorcycles, and, especially, foreign-made cars. His family marks memories by the car Bob was driving: his beloved Fiats, the Opel, the 1972 Volkswagen bus. It was only after he retired from GM that Bob drove a Chevy. He always wanted to know what his kids and grandkids were driving, and he helped many of them buy new vehicles.

In 1986, he married Orene Gilliam Griffith, a high school classmate who always had admired his dimples. The two enjoyed visiting with neighbors and friends and, when running errands or making visits, would stop at Wendy’s for lunch – often enough that Orene used to say that a day without Wendy’s was like a day without sunshine, and that the staff at their neighborhood Wendy’s knew them by name. Bob never met a stranger; he could and would talk to anyone and people loved chatting with him.

Bob often took drives to catch up with old friends or family, and in retirement, he volunteered with a service to deliver meals to senior citizens.

Bob loved butter pecan ice cream and, despite his love for Wendy’s, fries from McDonald’s. He always wanted to take visiting kids and grandkids out to eat.

Bob is survived by son, Tom (Gigi) Oakley of Ashland, and daughter, Sue Copsey of Ontario, as well as step-daughters Gayle (Roger) Davidson and Cheryl Griffith of Lexington; six grandchildren, Hillary (Mike) Canan and Lexi (Ben) Parks, Kristina Bronwen (Bob Boney), Andrew (Julia) Klink, Beth (Bob) Wermeling, and Kathryn (Dan) McGinnis; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Orene; his parents, Helen (nee Spence) and Waldo Oakley; his brother, Dean Oakley; step-daughter Judith Griffith Klink; and son-in-law, Eric Copsey.

Bob’s family will receive friends Friday, January 12, 2023, from 10 am - 11 am at Heyl Funeral Home in Ashland. Memorial contributions to Pathways Hospice may be made at the funeral home, or, just stop by Wendy’s for a Frosty or McDonald’s for fries in Bob’s honor.

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