April 19, 2024, 75, Goldsboro —

Dr. Robert Swenson Meyer died peacefully on Friday, April 19, wrapped in the loving embrace of his wife Linda of nearly 54 years and surrounded by his family. A servant of the Lord and pillar of his community, “Dr. Bob” left this world to be with Jesus, joining his mother, Adele Julia Christine Swenson Meyer, and father, William Claude Meyer.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Piper Meyer; his brother, William Leland Meyer (Kita); his four children, Jason Robert Meyer (Kimberly), Kathy Meyer Larson (Patrick), Joel Swenson Meyer (Patterson), and Kara Logan Meyer (Oscar); and his eight grandchildren, Hannah Michelle Meyer, Caleb Thomas Larson, Hallie Morgan Meyer, Elijah Lloyd Larson, Heidi Meredith Meyer, Abigail Margaret Larson, Reverie Ossman Meyer, and Lawson Adele Meyer.

He was born in Philadelphia on May 6, 1948, but spent most of his childhood in Pittsburgh, where he went to Beulah Presbyterian Church with the girl who would one day become his wife. The greatest memories of his childhood were family trips to a small island in Ox Bay in Ontario, Canada which later became a beloved multi-generational retreat for his brother, wife, children, and grandchildren. He played football and loved boats but wasn’t a great fisherman, aside from a lone bass caught at Sleepy Creek in 1984.

Bob attended Lafayette College where he graduated with Honors in Mathematics and was named a McKelvey Scholar. He took frequent trips home to Pittsburgh, “leaving on a jet plane” to see his one-and-only before they married on August 22, 1970. He graduated with multiple honors from Temple University School of Medicine and was chief resident in Family Practice at Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh before moving to Mt. Olive Family Practice in Mt. Olive, NC and later opening a solo family practice in Goldsboro, NC. On top of his demanding work serving his patients above and beyond the norm, Dr. Bob served on the boards of Wayne Memorial Hospital, Atlantic Integrated Health, and Home, Health, and Hospice Care (3HC), where he oversaw the creation of Kitty Askins Hospice Center, our community’s first inpatient hospice facility. It was the Kitty Askins staff who lovingly cared for him in his final days nearly 30 years later.

Dr. Bob loved his patients and they loved him. He dedicated his life to providing medical care with compassion, kindness, and incredible knowledge. He made house calls and daily rounds at the hospital long after either were the norm. He always took the time to listen. His office was a place where both his nurses and his patients were treated like family.

But there was no one he loved more than his family. He loved teaching his children, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren to water ski at Sleepy Creek, playing endless card and board games at the behest of his wife which eventually led to him joining the local duplicate bridge club, enjoying the latest gadgets with his brother every Christmas, and having lively debates on every topic under the sun with anyone who would dare try.

On top of serving his patients with the love of Jesus, Dr. Bob also served as an elder and Sunday school teacher in the Presbyterian Church and served on the board of Wayne Pregnancy Care Center. It was a joy for Bob and Linda to serve in ministry together leading Logos and National Day of Prayer and bringing the beloved annual Christmas musical, Child of the Promise, to Goldsboro. Dr. Bob’s impact on this community was both deep and wide and will be felt for years to come.

“Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your Master.” Matthew 25:23

A memorial service will be held at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, 401 N. Oak Forest Road in Goldsboro at 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 25 with a receiving line in the fellowship hall after the service. The family invites all those who loved Dr. Bob to share stories of their time with him to [email protected] to be compiled into a keepsake album for his family.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to www.3hc.org/donate-now or