Robert B. SilkworthPoughkeepsie - Robert Brian Silkworth, 64, passed away at home on May 2nd, 2017.Robert, son of Doris and Robert I. Silkworth, was born on May 29th, 1952. He is survived by his loving wife Susan; son and daughter-in-law, Evan and Elisabeth; sister, Suellen Ali; Aunt, Sally O'Hara; Father and brothers-in-law Willaim Sr. & Jr., Ron, and Dale Close; cousins George Silkworth, Brian Silkworth, and Jan Dewey; along with their families.At the age of 14, a diving accident left Robert or "Bob" as he liked to be called, with a broken neck and a grim prognosis of permanent paralysis. He defied odds and forced himself to be able to not only walk, but lead a life full of adventures in spite of physical challenges.Throughout his life, Bob worked and touched lives in many occupations. He worked in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor's offices as a certified Respiratory Therapist and Registered Nurse, where he prided himself on connecting with his patients. He also spent time in other fields, making stained glass art, selling office equipment, car parts, and carpeting along with doing contracting and repairs professionally and for friends. Bob had experience with plumbing, electrical work, wallpapering, plastering, and general machine repair ("If it's already broken, I can't make it worse!). However, Bob's life was less about work and more about helping people, even though the help typically came with a bad joke. Assuming that you were still listening after the joke, any time spent with Bob also came with some new, and often unusual, piece of information and lesson. These lessons, perhaps, were one of his favorite ways to help people, as he truly believed in being a lifelong learner and that we should all spend time looking to grow our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.Bob took great pride in organizing and overseeing the placement of American Flags on the graves of all veterans in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. This tradition began with his parents and will be continued by the family.In his final act of giving, Bob donated his body as part of the anatomical gift program through Albany Medical Center, in the hopes that it will lead to the betterment of all for years to come.A memorial service will be held at a later date.Donations can be made in Bob's honor to the Christopher S. Burton Syringomyelia Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or the .