Robert German
(1924–2023)
Robert "Bob" German died in Murrell's Inlet, SC following a brief illness. He was born in Baltimore, MD, the only child of Elva and Lee German. Bob dropped out of high school in 1939 to apprentice as a tool and die maker. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in  the US Navy and served aboard two submarines as a Machinist's Mate Second Class. He completed three war patrols in the Pacific Theater, two aboard the USS Angler and one aboard the USS Bluefish. Bob's boats saw extensive combat action, but he was most proud of two missions that rescued a total of 58 American and Filipino civilians from Japanese hostiles on the island of Panay.

Bob attended the University of Maryland on the GI Bill and earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He then served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for nine years before going on to work for the American Bank Note Company for forty years. He was eventually promoted to a vice president position and retired in 2001. In the early 1970s, Bob purchased raw land and developed the Arbomar, a high-rise, Gulf-front condominium on Long Boat Key, Florida.

Bob was also a prolific world traveler, highly skilled carpenter, Freemason, and Shriner. He donated generously to the arts and higher education. Bob married Arleen Myshrall in Hartford, Connecticut in 1943. The couple had three children before divorcing in 1976. Bob's second wife Edna Morrow died in 1983. He married Ruth Cope Robinette in 1997.

Bob was preceded in death by daughter Barbara in 2015 and son Bob in 2020. In late 2020, a granddaughter's DNA test revealed that Bob had fathered a daughter while stationed in Australia during the war. This discovery brought him great happiness in his final years. He was united with his daughter and her two children in Annapolis, MD last July.

Bob is survived by his wife Ruth, son Mark (wife Mary) of Annapolis, MD, daughter Dorothy Smith of Kalamunda, Australia, six grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, two great great grandchildren and numerous friends and extended family.