Robert "Bob" Edward Speight

Robert “Bob” Edward Speight was born in Suffolk, Virginia on December 5, 1942, and died at age 79 in Gainesville, Georgia on March 12, 2022.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years Betty Morrow Speight, his son Robert “Bob” Edward Speight, Jr. of Brunswick, Georgia, daughter Elizabeth “Betsy” Speight Wilson of Atlanta, Georgia, and by two granddaughters, Elizabeth “Eliza” Moira Speight of Brunswick and Hollis Anne Wilson of Atlanta.  He is also survived by two of his three siblings, Nancy Speight Perkins of Durham, North Carolina and James Shepherd Speight, Jr. of Charlotte, North Carolina.  He was preceded in death by his parents James Shepherd Speight and Fannie Anderson Speight, and his elder sister Martha Speight Erbach. 

Bob graduated from Suffolk High School in Suffolk, Virginia in 1960 and earned a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1964.  After college, he moved to Atlanta and began a career in commercial printing sales with Foote & Davies and stayed with the company for more than 20 years.  He started a commercial printing company called Web Inserts Atlanta and acted as its CEO until the company’s sale in the mid-1990s.  After retirement, he and Betty traveled and Bob spent time volunteering at Camp Kudzu, a camp for children with Type 1 diabetes as “Bob the Builder,” teaching kids to build with wood.  He also worked as a leader in the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church in Dahlonega, Georgia, leading the effort to re-build the historic church building after a fire. 

He was a devoted husband and father.  In addition to his family, his passions included wood-working, ACC basketball and spending time at his mountain house and property in North Georgia. 

He and Betty have lived at Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, Georgia since 2013. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at www.jdrf.org.

Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com

Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway, SW, Gainesville, Georgia 30501 is in charge of arrangements.