Robert Lucas Missroon, Sr

Captain Robert Lucas (Bobby) Missroon 90 passed away at home on Friday, December 6, 2024 after a short illness. He was born at home in Bucksport, South Carolina on June 25, 1934, the fourth of 11 children to James Frampton and Almeda Cornelison Missroon.

The family moved around the low country of South Carolina often in the early years, but in 1942 he along with his father and older brother Jimmy relocated from Wilmington, NC to Savannah aboard the shrimp boat “Okracoke” with the rest of the family soon to follow. They settled in Fort Screven area of Tybee where they were fixtures until the early 1970s. He was always happy to let everyone know that he was a Tybee boy and that his family is still living on Tybee.

Bobby left Savannah High School in 1950 in the 10th grade to pursue his life’s passion of working on tugboats in the Savannah Harbor with Atlantic Towing Company. He often remarked that he was a lucky man who was able to make a living doing what he loved to do. He rose quickly through the ranks to become one of the youngest Docking Pilots ever on the east coast. He handled more ships in Savannah than anyone ever has and probably ever will. In 1985 he led a group of employees and investors in purchasing Atlantic Towing from Savannah Foods. The company was later sold to Turecamo and then Moran Towing. He was extremely proud of his legacy of his brothers, son, grandson, and nephews who have continued as Pilots on the river.

He was active in the Port business community as a long-time member of the Propeller Club of Savannah and one of the founders of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Docking Pilots Association.

He was a Veteran of the Korean Conflict having served a tour in the US Coast Guard during the war. He also went to sea as a Merchant Seaman with US Lines making several voyages to Europe to extend his licenses. When he finally surrendered his licenses, he had held a Masters of Oceans license for more than 50 years.

Never satisfied with one job, he was always looking for something else to do. In 1968 he and his younger brother Alan bought a 47’ Harkers Island sports fisherman, “Almeda”, which they ran as a charter boat and were among the pioneers of offshore fishing in Savannah. He also went into commercial fishing, at one time owning 6 shrimp boats as well as snapper and crab boats. In the middle 1980’s he purchased a controlling interest in The Yachtworks on Wilmington Island which he ran for 13 years. He and his sons also purchased a timber plantation in Costa Rica which led to forming Savannah Exotic Hardwoods, a lumber import and construction company which he ran until his final retirement in his early 80s. He was also an early investor in DSS, Inc. a healthcare technology company that now employs more than 750 people.

For leisure activity, he was active in the Savannah Sports Fishing Club and fished the Marlin tournaments up and down the east coast during the early days.

He also had a real passion for working with children, both his own and others. He coached his daughter’s basketball and softball teams as well as his grandsons’ youth basketball teams. He was very active in Boy Scouts with his sons in Troop 36 and his grandsons in Troop 1. In 2013 at 79 years old he

became one of the oldest inductees in the Tomo Chi-Chi Lodge of the Order of the Arrow. He was known to a whole generation of Scouts and Leaders as “Captain.”

He was very proud of his heritage as a descendant of the early settlers in Charleston. He often told people that he was proud that there were seafaring Missroons in every generation since James Missroon came to Charleston in 1790. He was a member of the Sons of the Revolution in Georgia and the Sons of the American Revolution.

He is survived by his 3 children, Robert Lucas Missroon, Jr. (Nora), Todd Eugene Missroon, Sr (Andrea) and Stacy Pamela Missroon, his grandchildren, Allison Missroon McGlohon (Ashley), Todd Eugene Missroon, Jr (Lizzie Foran), Robert Lucas Missroon, III (Kristina Strozzo), Daniel O’Leary Missroon and Rutledge Gunning Missroon, and his great-grandchildren, Clinton, Liam and Ella McGlohon and Todd Eugene Missroon, III and a large family of siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Fox and Weeks with visitation and services to be held at the Islands Chapel on Highway 80 with burial at the Greenwich Section of Bonaventure Cemetery.