By Deborah Larsen
Robert Worth Halbach
Robert Worth Halbach was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 4, 1922, the son of Frederick and Gertrude Myhers Halbach. Robert grew up in Rochester and attended Rochester High School, where he graduated with the class of 1940. Halbach Field in Rochester was named for Robert’s father, a well-known civic leader.
After high school, Robert worked for National Twist Drill & Tool Company in Avon Township. He entered the U.S. Army Air Forces in November 1942 and was trained as a mechanic specialist. In October 1943, he was assigned to a unit at Trinidad, British West Indies, that was part of the Antilles Air Command and was engaged in antisubmarine warfare.
Robert was released from military service in December 1945. He married in 1945 and started a family. He worked at Pontiac Motors for 27 years and lived in and around Rochester for the rest of his life.
Robert Worth Halbach died at the age of 74 on July 22, 1997, and was laid to rest in Mount Avon Cemetery.