Robert John Donnelly

Robert Donnelly, known as Bob to all who knew him, has gone home to be with his heavenly Father and to be reunited with his two sons, Caleb and Gideon, who preceded him in death.

Born on May 9, 1951, to the late Viola (Zegal) and John Donnelly on Long Island, New York, Bob spent his early years fishing for horseshoe crabs and watching sunlight dance across the water. At home, he and his sisters grew up surrounded by horses, ponies, dogs, and sheep, nurturing in him a lifelong love of nature and animals.

As a teenager, he joined a construction crew and later became an independent contractor, devoting nearly fifty years to the trade. He was known by all as an honest, hardworking craftsman.

In 1973, Bob met Susan Spratta, who became the love of his life. They experienced a profound encounter with Jesus Christ in 1976 that transformed them both, and they married the following year. This coming May would have marked fifty-three years together. The former atheist devoted his life to ministry, traveling the country to speak in churches and pastoring his own for a time, all while running his remodeling business and raising what would become twelve children.

While traveling years later, the family drove through the peaceful community of Patrick County, Virginia, and were struck by its beauty. After a serious illness left Bob unable to work for a year and the bank foreclosed on their Long Island home, they remembered the little town and decided to start anew. In 1998, they loaded their children, belongings, and what little they had left and moved to Woolwine, purchasing eleven acres along Jack’s Creek. They lived in tents without running water while building a home, a challenging time that drew them closer as a family.

Surrounded by trees, streams, wildlife, and clean mountain air, Bob and Susan felt they had finally come home, yet what they cherished most were the people of Patrick County. Warm, welcoming, and kind, they held a special place in Bob’s heart. He loved becoming part of the community, meeting new people, listening to their stories, and sharing his own, always eager to tell them about the love of Jesus that had delivered him from a life of drugs, alcohol, and despair. Upon his salvation in 1976, God told him, “Now go and tell others that what I’ve done for you I can do for them also,” and he remained faithful to that calling until his last breath.

Bob was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He will be deeply missed, but his testimony and memory live on in all whose lives he touched. He is survived by his loving wife, Susan, their children, grandchildren, and their puppy, Maximus.