To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.
Obituary
Robert Nelson Renner, Jr. — known as Robbie in Weatherford, Texas, and later as Bob in the Virgin Islands and California — died on May 17, 2026, of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease. He was 80.
Bob was only five when he lost his father, an Air Force major, in a mid-air collision — and from that early age he carried a sense of responsibility that stayed with him his whole life. When his family moved to St. Thomas in 1956, he discovered a lifelong love of photography, eventually rising to manager of a camera shop on Main Street. He married his first wife, Judith, in 1965, and their son, Robert Nelson Renner III, was born in 1974 — a son whose childhood Bob photographed as devotedly as he had photographed the islands he loved.
After serving in the U.S. Army, Bob returned to St. Thomas, where hard years — including a year in prison — cost him his marriage but never his bond with his son. For nearly twenty years he worked the ferries between St. Thomas, St. John, and the British Virgin Islands, staying close to his boy all the while. In 1991, facing prison again, he chose a different path, entering a rehabilitation program in Desert Hot Springs, California, that changed the course of his life. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree and, in 1999, a master's in social work, spending the next 18 years as a Social Services Practitioner finding homes for children in San Bernardino County. That same year he married Penny Lane, and the two traveled the world together. Even as he endured painful losses — Brother Tim, Mother Paula, Wife Penny, Stepson Duke, Aunt Stella — his devotion to the "Twelve Steps" and the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous communities he was a part of never wavered; he rarely missed a meeting and became a mentor and model of recovery to many. In his final years, Bob found deep joy in the birth of his grandson, Julian, and in a last visit to the Virgin Islands, the place he always considered home.
He is survived by his family, including Peggy Renner, Robert Nelson, Marilyn Reynolds, Robert N. Renner III, Caitlin Renner, Julian Renner, Susie Renner, Ian Renner, Zoe Renner, Muffie Anne Manzella, Scarlett Olivia Drews, Addison Lee Drews, Pamela Smith, Maz Reeder, Tom Nelson, Pam Nelson, Chance Nelson, Annika Nelson, Chet Nelson, Leslie Nelson, Ava Nelson, and Grace Nelson.
In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Ranch Recovery Centers. Additional information can be found on the Donate tab above. The family is also deeply grateful to Bob's dear friends Jerry, Bob and Betty for their invaluable care.
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