Robert Gierling Death, Obituary – Robert Gierling of London, Ontario, London Health, Science Centre Facility Management Coordinator has passed away untimely and unexpectedly leaving friends, loved ones, family and the entire community heartbroken and in grievance. He was a passionate naturalist and scientist who relished every opportunity to spend time in nature. He would spend his days in his backyard looking to every detail of his beautiful garden, cleaning and rearranging his pond, and watching the various animals who came to enjoy it.
He enjoyed long camping vacations with friends in his early years, and in his latter years, he delighted in day outings to National Parks and other natural areas for sightseeing. He loved traveling, both domestically and abroad, seeing places he had read about in history books, seeing places he had learned about in documentaries, and generally living life to the fullest. Bob was never without his camera when he went hiking or sightseeing. He captured some gorgeous images, especially of the scenery, wildlife, and flora he enjoyed seeing along the way.
He frequently took pictures of snakes lounging on rocks or newly blooming flowers even in the backyard. Too many to count, he adored every one of his pets. Bob was able to resolve any problem. If you presented him with a challenge, he would consider it, research it, and try different approaches to solve it. He almost always had a “outside the box” perspective, which allowed him to view things differently than most of us did. In addition to being smart, pleasant, and humble, he was also modest. Bob was quite content with the person he was.
When he was a little boy growing up on the lower boundary of Frankfort in Philadelphia, he had been observed playing ball with the neighborhood youngsters across the street, many of whom were his relatives. Frankfort High School was where he finished his high school career. He later attended Philadelphia Community College and received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Temple University in 1973.
He completed a master’s program in environmental ecology at Villanova University. He worked as an agricultural research scientist at Pennwalt Corporation, Ecogen BioTech, and then Rohm & Haas Chemicals.