DL Capt. Robert Burns Irwin

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

Navy veteran, DL Capt. Robert Burns Irwin

June 6, 1933 ~ January 1, 2025

 

From family comes news with the passing of retired Delta pilot and Delta Golden Wings member Captain Robert “Bob” Burns Irwin, age 91.  Bob joined Delta Air Lines 04-17-1961 and retired in 1993.  Bob is survived by his children and their families.  

To share memories and/or send condolences, please email daughter Kristen at Kristen@kristennixon.com

Thank you,

~ Carol for the PCN

PCN memorial site :

 

Obituary :

Robert Burns Irwin (June 6, 1933-January 1, 2025) was born and raised in Ligonier, Pennsylvania to Boyd Sanner Irwin and Dorothy Mae Burns Irwin.  He went by many names, including “Bob”, “Moe”, “R.B.”, “Dad” and “Grandpa”.  When he was a youngster, Bob’s dad took him to a nearby airfield and treated him to a ride in an airplane.  This sparked his love of flying, and he immediately knew he wanted to become a pilot.  After graduation from Ligonier High School, he attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York and graduated in 1956.

 

Bob then enlisted in the United States Navy, and was trained to fly airplanes off of aircraft carriers, primarily at Naval Air Station Pensacola.  While waiting for instruction time in the airplane, his buddies introduced him to the game of golf and it became a lifelong passion of his.  While in the Navy, he was stationed on the USS Wasp and the USS Intrepid.  He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1959, and then served in the United State Navy Reserve at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia until 1971. 

 

Bob was hired by Delta Air Lines in 1961, and was based in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles while always maintaining his residence in Houston.  When anyone asked him how he liked being a pilot for Delta Air Lines, he would always say “I love it!  It’s like being paid to do a hobby.”  During his first years with Delta, he met the love of his life, Gray.  She was a beautiful Delta flight attendant who lived in his apartment complex.  They married in 1965 and raised two children together.

 

He was a member of Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas for sixty years, where he practiced his passion for golf and made dear, lifelong friends. 

 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 32 years, Catherine Gray Embry Irwin, his parents, and his brother James Irwin, of Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

 

Bob is survived by his daughter Kristen Nixon and her husband, Lanny, who live in Atlanta, Georgia; his son Kevin Irwin and Kevin’s wife, Tawanna, and their children Layla and Ryder, who live in Aledo, Texas; his brother Bill Irwin and Bill’s wife, Jean, who live in Ligonier, Pennsylvania and Clermont, Florida; his niece Carol Darr and Carol’s husband, James, who live in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and his nephew Scott Irwin and Scott’s wife, Polly, who live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

 

A memorial service in celebration of Bob’s life will be held at 2:00 on Monday, February 17, in the  Christ Chapel of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road, Houston, Texas 77056.  To view the live stream of the service, go to https://stmartinsepiscopal.org/funerals/

 

St. Martin’s does not accept flowers.  In lieu, donations may be sent to The Lake Beautification Fund at Clairmont Place, 2100 Clairmont Lake, Decatur, Georgia 30033.  678-686-6160.