Like most of us, Bob started out his life far away; in his case, in Laferty , Ohio.  Close to the West Virginia border, Laferty was a coal mining area, and all of Bob's male relatives were coal miners.  Bob's family survived during the depression because his father worked the mines.

However, that life came to an end when Bob was 5 years old and his father died. Without an income his mother was unable to provide for her four children and they were placed in a county home, where they stayed, unhappily, for one year.

Because Bob's father had been a WW1 veteran the children were eligible to be placed in a children's home administered by the American Legion and were transferred to Xenia, Ohio.

"This was like moving to Heaven compared to the county home," Bob said,   "It was run like a military school, but with a heart," Bob explained. "We not only had a school, but a band, an orchestra, sports, and with 900 kids for labor, we raised our own cattle, crops, and gardens; we were entirely self-sufficient."

They marched to class, which might not appeal to today's young people, but Bob doesn’t regret that more rigid upbringing and feels the home gave a him a good preparation for life.  The motto for boys was "Your father was a soldier, you should be one."

After 11 1/2 years at the Xenia home, Bob graduated from high school and enrolled at Ohio State where he majored in physical education and later studied business and marketing. However, the Korean War intervened and Bob spent two years with the Eighth Regiment Combat Team.  "There, I fulfilled my military duty," he said.

 While in college, Bob worked part time in the mailroom at Nationwide Insurance.  After service and completing his education, he returned to Nationwide, spending 40 years as a life underwriter. His last years there were as a medical underwriting consultant. 

One important bonus from working at Nationwide was that he met Judy, who also worked there, and they’ve been married for 39 years.  Daughter Lori, 36, is a professional service rep for Delta Dental Services and Jeffrey, 31, is a software design manager, both in Ohio.

Although the Ogilbees have been full-time residents at Jamaica Bay since 1993, their children are urging them to spend the hot summer months in Ohio.  The kids are even making this easy for Bob and Judy by having a condo available for them.  With three major surgeries since 1993, Bob will need to be cutting back a bit but he is looking forward to returning to work and greeting all the "nice people at Golfview."