Robert Rodger Rantilla died peacefully at his home in Lexington on November 7, 2019.

Bob was born September 30, 1942 in Trinidad, where his father was a field engineer working on constructing Waller Army Airfield for United States' use in World War II. After the war the family settled in Ohio. Bob graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1960, where he excelled in track and held the Northeast Ohio record for half mile.

Bob loved music, taught himself to play guitar, and wrote over 100 songs, which he enjoyed performing in many venues. He received the Bachelor of Science degree from Youngstown State University and Master of Science Degree from the University of South Dakota. To fund his education Bob worked many different jobs; his favorite was driving a crane in a steel mill.

Bob was opposed to war of any kind and participated in demonstrations against the Vietnam War. There was great need for science teachers at the time of Bob's graduation, and he was hired to teach in a middle school in Ohio. He had received no training in pedagogy in college, but his natural ability for effective explanation and his empathy for students resulted in very successful teaching according to students he taught in Ohio public schools, Youngstown State University, and later, at Quincy College in Massachusetts.

Bob moved to Massachusetts in the late 1970s, where he married and became a father. At the age of 48 he began the process of reaching his life-long goal of becoming a doctor, entering medical school at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. He received the Doctor of Osteopathy degree in 1993 and then completed three years of internship and residency in Family Practice at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica, New York. In 1996 he moved back to Massachusetts to be near his son.

In 1999 Bob suffered the first in a series of strokes, which several years later necessitated early retirement. A stroke and surgery in 2004 left him unable to speak, even unable to say his name, "Bob". Always persistent, he practiced and practiced, saying a version of his name "Bod" or "Bog" hundreds of times until eventually saying "Bob" was reliable. In the fifteen years between that time and his passing, Bob's communication continued to improve. Of enormous assistance was connecting with the Aphasia Resource Center at Sargent College, Boston University, where he found hope in meetings, classes, and a supportive community of wonderful people who also had difficulty with communication. Of great assistance also in the final years was going to Douglas House in Lexington, part of the Supportive Living program for adults with brain injuries, to exercise under supervision.

Bob was predeceased by his parents, Gustav and Hedwig Rantilla, his son Robert Nelson Rantilla, and his brother Richard Rantilla. He leaves his partner of 27 years, Jane Winchell of Lexington, his brother Ronald and partner Elizabeth of Rhode Island, his brother Roy and wife Barbara of Ohio, a niece and five nephews. A memorial service is being planned for a future date. Those who wish to honor Bob's memory may contribute to Trustees of Boston University/ Aphasia Resource Center, Boston University Sargent College, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, or Supportive Living, Inc., 400 West Cummings Parkway, Suite 6100, Woburn, MA 01801.