Robert (Bob) Richard Miley
Robert (Bob) Richard Miley, 81, passed away on October 16, 2021 at Clear Lake Hospital in Webster Texas. Bob was born June 29, 1940 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Richard Miley and Lucile Hieber. Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 38 years Cecilia Ann Miley; sons Robert Arthur Miley (spouse Rachel), Michael Scott Miley (spouse Tracy), Michael Dee Henderson (spouse Susan), Eric Parker Miley (spouse Amy); sisters Mary Lou and Susan; grandchildren Madison Ann Miley, Derek Dean Miley, Parker Mays Miley, Dylan Scott Miley, Christian Grant Henderson and Kenneth Wayne Donaldson; Great Grandchildren Bristol Wyatt and Kenley Donaldson and numerous friends.
Bob worked for 57 years and had various jobs ranging from a Paperboy, to Horn Tester for the Ford Company and as an Engineer in the Aerospace Industry at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Bendix Aerospace, Lockheed, United Space Alliance and GEO Controls during the Apollo, Space Shuttle and ISS Missions. Bob worked his way through college and earned his degree from Eastern Michigan University.
Those who knew Bob, found him to be a very loving and kind soul, who loved his sports and most of all his Michigan Wolverines football team (Go Big Blue). Bob lived a full and blessed life and his greatest joy was being with his wife, grandkids and family. Bob also enjoyed the company of his many four-legged friends (Angus, Pete, Kirby, Ferguson, Foxy, and Sophie).
Bob was preceded in death by his father (Richard), mother (Lucile), son (Richard Alexander Miley), brothers (Kenny and John) and his sister (Pat).
Bob was a wonderful person and never forgot to make any person welcome into his circle.
Pop’s you will be dearly missed…I Love you Pop’s
Pops you can finally rest in peace, no more working. We love you and will miss you. We will always remember the good and bad, but through it all, we all remember how much you loved us. You are a GREAT ROLE MODEL, but especially a great DAD. Love you forever Pops. GO BLUE!!!!!
I worked with Bob for many years dealing with ISS robotic payloads. He _always_ had a smile in his voice when you talked to him. He was such a joy to work with – knowledgeable and hard working. He was so responsive and quick to help out. He had such a great work ethic. I had been praying for his health for many years and will add his family to my prayers as you transition through this difficult time. I hope you have many wonderful memories of your dad and husband to comfort you.
Miley family,
It was a pleasure to know and work with Bob. His accountability was tremendous and his respect humbling. He was a valuable member of the iss team and I will miss seeing him on his visits to KSC. You guys are in my thoughts and prayers.
Curt Horanic
My sincere sympathies to Bob’s family and loved ones. I had the pleasure to know Bob for many years while he worked at NASA supporting many of our Department of Defense payloads that flew on the Space Shuttle and Space Station. He worked tireless to make our missions a success. He was an expert in his field and he always supported us with a smile and kind words. He will be missed and it was an honor to have known him.
Thank you, Craig!! Bob’s my father in law….me working at JSC…it fascinates me to see the impact he had!! Thank you for your kind words, I will share them with the family!!
I worked with Bob for 5 years and he is one of the kindest, hardest workers I’ve met. He was in bright and early every morning with a smile on his face. I remember one morning I left to get coffee and left my phone at my desk (he sat on the other side of the cube wall) my alarm started going off very loudly blasting music… for 5 minutes straight. When I returned and realized this, I went and apologized to Bob saying “I’m so sorry, it probably was driving you crazy!” His response was, “were you not playing that music on purpose? I thought you just wanted to share a nice song with me!” He gave me a smile and a wink. Little things like this is why you are so missed. I know you are wearing those cowboy boots with pride in heaven. Sending love and prayers to his family.
I was saddened to hear about Bob’s passing. I had briefly worked with Bob on the DoD STP-H7 payload and he was always helpful in shepherding us through the processes. I was not aware that Bob was also the father of two fine young men that I had the pleasure to work with (Mike) and play rugby with (Rob). I am sorry for the family’s loss, but know his memory lives on in a wonderful family. Our prayers are with you.
My deepest condolences to the entire Miley family. I had the great honor of working with Bob for many years on the ISS program. He was one of a kind and such an invaluable asset to our Payloads family. I say with great and humbling respect that Bob was much more than a coworker to me–he was a dear friend. My prayers and sincere sympathy to all of you.
Bob – you went through so much, but kept going with a smile and awesome attitude. I will miss you.
To The Miley Family – i worked with Bob for many years and enjoyed his dry sense of humor, his work ethic, and talking with him. We both gave our retirement notice around the same time and tried to renegotiate our last day, unsuccessfully. Don’t know where he got his stamina! I think they had to hire 2 people to replace him. He always said he wanted to keep working to stay busy. He was a good man.
Ann/CeCe – I am so sorry for your loss; you finally had him home! I’ve moved to TN so won’t be able to come to a service, but please let me know if there’s anything I can do. I will keep an eye on this site for info. Sincere condolences, Debbie
Bob was one of the first PIMs I met when starting at NASA, and he was always one of my favorites. (Truly). What I really appreciated about him was his willingness to listen, patience in working through tough challenges, and genuine attention to resolving the problem – many times just by actually picking up the phone or stopping by to talk (in person).
It was a set of skills that many of us don’t do well/fall short of actively practicing today (myself included), and he was a tremendous asset to the success of safe human space flight.
He’ll be sincerely missed and I am much better for having the honor to work with and know him.
It was an honor to be a friend of Bob’s. He was very welcoming when us girls came to sew and laugh and have a good time with Ann. Your kind soul will be missed Bob Miley. Peace to you and your family.
I enjoyed working with Bob. He always was reliable and one could trust on him. It was a pleasure to work with him. It is very sad, that he passed away. My sympathies for Bob’s family.
Rest in peace…
Bob, You were an amazing and loving father in law. Thank you for raising your sons to be the men they are today…for that I am blessed. I came to the Miley party late, but you made me feel like family from the start. I will miss talking about NASA and about launches….I will miss you!!
It is an honor to have known Bob. I spent a lot of time with him & Ann especially after my husband passed away. He and Ann came to help me when he passed & I thank God for their kindness & I will miss knowing he is somewhere on this earth…
He was a wonderful friend….God speed on your journey home….My condolences to Ann & Bob’s family. I know how you will miss him…..love to you all.
I worked with Bob on the ALSEP Project all those many decades ago. I greatly respected him. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family.
I am sad for the family to hear this! Sad that the world has lost a good guy! Whether we would meet at a baseball game or in the hallway of Boeing we always had a nice chat, and that my friends is awesome. It’s amazing how many aerospace company’s he worked for. Bob has a great family, prayers for the family!
What a bad news . My sincere condolance to Ann and Bob’ s sons. I knew Bob for workshop, but soon we became true friends. I will miss you Bob tti
Bob was a truly exceptional individual. I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of working with him on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) Project as well as other projects for over 25 years at NASA. He was always proactive, always looking for a better way to get things done, and always a pleasure to work with. He was missed the moment he retired and now he will be missed even more. The only fault I could ever find with Bob was that he was a Detroit Redwings fan while I’m a Chicago Blackhawks fan. We managed to find a way to work through that, largely because of Bob’s great sense of humor.
My sincerest condolences to Bob’s family. You have so many reasons to be extremely proud of the exemplary life he lived. All of us at NASA are deeply saddened by our mutual loss of a remarkably dedicated and competent co-worker and a great friend.
First met Bob while preparing for the Apollo 11 EASEP payload. Bob was a true professional and gentleman. May he Rest In Peace…
Big Daddy Bob,
Gone to soon! Hell of a man!! Gonna miss you! Go blue!
Bob,
We miss you much already. I enjoyed sitting in the stands talking football with you at Eric’s games. You were his biggest fan! Thank you for being a wonderful father in law. You raised some incredible men. Go Blue!
Love Amy
Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure if I crossed paths with Bob at NASA, but he is clearly one of the individuals who ensured our Space Program enjoyed such great accomplishments. It is impossible to imagine all the great and critical contributions he made. Sorry that he’s passed, but thankful that his work lives on – here on the planet and in space. Thank you, Bob.
Kevin Ford, Crew on STS-128 and ISS Exp-33/34
I worked around Bob for years. We talked a lot about football. I never knew anyone so dedicated and hard working. He would make any sacrifice to get his payloads on orbit. Late nights; very early mornings. (Charts on weekends for NASA managers). Also, he had a lot of good advice. We will miss him.
I had the pleasure of caring from Mr. Miley for 14 years. He was a kind, friendly man. I will miss seeing him in the office and talking about college football. He referred many patients too me, and they all agreed that Bob was the hardest working person they knew. Rest in peace Mr. Miley. Peace be with you and your family.