Robert Alan Poiry

Robert Alan Poiry passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family on Thursday, November 23, 2017, at 6:00 a.m. at the age of 78. He was born January 4, 1939, in Arcadia, Ohio, to the late Nicholas and Frances (Richardson) Poiry. Robert was the fourth born of five siblings. Robert grew up in Arcadia and in the Missouri Ozark Mountains before moving back to Ohio, where he graduated from Clay High School in Oregon, OH. Robert fell in love and married the love of his life, Carol Rapp. He raised his three boys on a small farm with pigs, chickens and horses, where he eventually designed and built his dream home, he called Briar Rose, on the same piece of land where he lived out his final days. Robert loved blue grass music, played bass guitar in country-western bands, performed with Merle Haggard, Chuck Berry and Jo Ann Castle of The Lawrence Welk Show. He also loved drawing and making signs. He owned and operated an airbrush studio and taught upwards of 3,000 students. He was known as the Yankee Doodler for an international RV travel magazine, where he was the illustration artist and story writer. Robert was a very active husband and father. He became a Cub Scout Master of their local troop. He loved traveling the country with his wife Carol to many destinations and adventures with one of the most monumental being the renewal of their vows in Kauai, HI, for their 25th wedding anniversary. Robert enjoyed snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park next to the buffalo; he enjoyed his homebuilt VW dune-buggy, his Model A Ford, Arctic Cat ATV, snowmobiles and RV motor home. Robert served in the Ohio National Guard for eight years. He worked multiple jobs at a young age before becoming a Toledo policeman, where he transitioned into a plain clothes inner city homicide detective. He started the Police Shield newspaper. He also served as a trained hypnotist producing hand-drawn sketches of assailants by victims descriptions for the police department. Robert was also an actor on an episode of The Dead Files- Demon Wars, which aired on national TV. Surviving Robert are his loving wife of 56 years, Carol; sons, Robert, Jr. (Catherine) of Rossford, John (Rebecca) of Millbury and Matthew Poiry of Pemberville; grandchildren, Kelly, Jacob (Jona), Garrett and Jesse Poiry; brothers, William and Nicholas (Marilyn) Poiry; and mother-in-law, Violet Compton. He was preceded in death by his brother, Patrick Poiry, and sister, Kathleen Benore. Visitation for Robert will be Wednesday, November 29, 2017, from 2-8 p.m. at the Robinson-Walker Funeral Home Crematory, 501 West St., Genoa. The funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, November 30, 2017, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 204 Main St., Genoa, with burial to follow in Clay Township Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given to the Toledo Police Museum, Inc., 2201 Kenwood Blvd., Toledo, OH 43606; the American Heart Assoc., 4331 Keystone Dr. Suite D, Maumee, OH 43537; and Great Lakes Hospice, 3425 Executive Pkwy. #206, Toledo, OH 43606.