Robert Philpot

Robert Philpot, 67, passed away at home suddenly on Friday March 13 following a brief illness. He was born in Gainesville, FL on June 27,1947 to Robert E. "Bob" and Dorothy Rountree Philpot. He was preceded in death by both of his parents. He is survived by his beloved wife, Brenda, of 41 years and his two children, daughter Amber Philpot and son Rob Philpot. He is also survived by two siblings Stephen I. (Jan) Philpot and Carol (Mike) Dicentio and a multitude of family members that hold him dear. Robert graduated from Williston High School in 1965. A school that would hold lifelong significance and that he loved until his passing. He was drafted by the Army in 1969 and toured actively in Vietnam where he was wounded twice. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with bronze service star, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Combat Infantrymans Badge, and the Purple Heart. His Vietnam service ended in June of 1970 and he served in the Reserves until January 1975. Upon his return from active duty he attended Central Florida Community College and Santa Fe Community College before transferring to the University of Florida where he earned both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Agricultural Education graduating in 1973 and 1980, respectively. Following Graduation he worked with a local veterans group before hiring on as an Agricultural Teacher at Williston High School in 1977. During his tenure at WHS he coached two national-winning FFA teams in Meats Evaluation in 1990, 1992 and 45 state-winning FFA teams. He assisted 125 students in earning their State FFA degrees and 10 in earning their American Degrees. He taught 7 students that served as State FFA officers. In 1984, he was named Williston Teacher of the Year and later that same year was named Levy County Teacher of the Year. In 1988 he was named the Outstanding Agriculture Educator for the state of Florida. He received the Florida Association for Career and Technical Educators Carl Obrien Humanitarian Award. In 2001 he helped develop a program, Agriscience Leadership Program, where Agriculture Teachers could enhance their leadership potential and increase their knowledge of agriculture. In 2003, he helped lead the charge to create a specialty license plate for Agricultural Education. Robert taught at Williston High School for 37 years before retiring in May 2010. In 2013, Robert was inducted into the Florida FFA Hall of Fame. From 2010-Present Robert served on the Levy County School Board. While serving on the School Board he was instrumental in leading the charge to establish a new Williston Middle High School. He wanted students in Williston to have the opportunity to learn in a state of the art facility. The state approved the funding for the school in 2014. Ground is expected to be broken for the new school in May of this year. Robert would have been overjoyed to see this school come to fruition. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Williston Florida where he served as an ordained deacon for a period of time and a Sunday School teacher. Robert's favorite pastimes always involved family and/or friends. He never met a stranger and he was always interested in those around him, whether you were a family member, a close friend, a student, or just an acquaintance. He was large in every sense of the word. When he walked in the room, you knew he was there and you always left with a smile on your face because of him. Robert also loved spending time with his wife, Brenda who was the love of his life. After 41 years of marriage he still referred to her as "his bride" and he always enjoyed reminding his sister-in-laws that he "got the pick of the litter". Together they enjoyed traveling with friends and family, reading, going to movies, and just spending time with each other. After they both retired, Robert and Brenda wanted to travel together to see all the major National Parks and to visit all 50 states. At the time of his passing, they only had New Mexico left to visit. They were both active in the Williston community and always found time to support the other in all their endeavors. He loved his two children and was extremely proud of both of them. Both followed in his footsteps. Amber is an educator in the Levy County School System and Rob served in the US Army. In addition to enjoying being with his family, Robert was blessed to have some amazing, once in a lifetime friendships. He loved going to UF Football games, Deep Seafishing in the Keys, and traveling the continental US enjoying good fellowship and especially good food, and always on the look out for the perfect steak. He has been a mentor to many young people of Williston. Roberts passing leaves a void in the community that can never be filled. His family finds comfort in knowing that the traits he passed along to many of his students will live on in generations to come. The funeral service will be held on Monday March 16 at the First Baptist Church of Williston, Florida with visitation beginning at 11:30 am followed by the service at 1pm, with Reverend Jason Owenby officiating. Interment will follow in the Orange Hill Cemetery in Williston. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Robert Philpot Agriculture Scholarship Fund, c/o Drummond Bank, P.O. Box 788, Williston, FL 32696. Arrangements are under the direction of Knauff Funeral Home, 512 E. Noble Ave, Williston, FL 32696 (532)528-3481.