Robert Ellis Haycock

Robert Ellis Haycock, 92, of Morganton, Georgia, passed away Dec. 1, 2024, in Gainesville, Georgia, after a long illness. He was born in Tomhicken, Pennsylvania, as the only son of Dorothy (Mensinger) and Donald Haycock. Bob descended from a long line of Lehigh Valley Railroad workers.

He spent his life serving his country and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. An Air Force veteran of the Korean War, he served as a gunner and munitions specialist on a B-26 crew. Bob served as a trooper in the Pennsylvania State Police for 25 years, retiring as fire marshal for Troop J in Lancaster. He was a trick rider on his trusty steed Sonasta in the former Pennsylvania State Police Rodeo. After he retired, he co-founded and was senior investigator for UBA Fire and Explosions in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

Bob spent most of his retirement years in Florida playing senior softball, winning a national championship in 2004 with Eye Centers of Florida, a 70-and-older team. He played until he was 85, and he made many friends in Charlotte and Sarasota counties. A prolific hitter, Bob crushed a lot of softballs with his distinctive uppercut swing. He was a lifelong baseball fan, and was drafted by the New York Giants baseball team before the war ended that dream.

Bob’s gregarious nature ensured that he made friends wherever he went. He previously lived in Lancaster, Harrisburg and Hershey in Pennsylvania and Punta Gorda and Venice, Florida. He was proud to claim the title as the longest living Haycock, edging great-grandfather and Civil War veteran John Ellis Haycock by a nose.

He was a member of Robert D. Lapp Jr. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Lancaster, Pa. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Police Retirees Association and VFW Chapter 6570 in Blue Ridge, Georgia. He was a 32nd Degree Mason in the Scottish Rite Bodies in the Valley of Harrisburg. He received his 60-year pin from the RW Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania. He belonged to the Valley of Lancaster Lodge of Perfection and Zembo Shriners of Harrisburg. 

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Vicki Dean; a son, Douglas (Belinda) Clark of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania; two nephews, Jeff (Sharon) Judge and Jamie (Cindy) Judge of Tomhicken; a niece, Sandy Judge of Orlando, Florida; three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. 

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his oldest son, Robert Scott Haycock of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; sister Marilyn Judge of Tomhicken and his favorite uncle, Jim Mensinger of Elsmere, Delaware.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pennsylvania State Police Museum Historical Educational and Memorial Center in Hershey, 187 Police Academy Drive, Hershey, PA 17033.

Committal services in Sarasota National Cemetery in Florida will be announced later.

The family would like to thank his compassionate caregivers at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, especially the nurses and care staff in the Hospice wing.

Arrangements are being handled by Hillside Chapel Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Gainesville, Georgia