Robert Charles Herrington

Robert Charles Herrington, CPL….85, of Meadville passed away on Monday, October 5, 2015 at Transitional Care Unit of Meadville Medical Center after an extended illness.

Bob was born in Barberton, OH January 6, 1930.  With his parents, Donald Dean and Myrtle Geiser Herrington, he moved to the family homestead on French Creek near Shaw’s Landing about three years later.  His ancestors settled there in 1796 emigrating from England and employed as surveyors for Huidekoper.  He attended seven years in the Rung grade school and graduated from the Cochranton High School in 1947.

He upgraded the family farm and operated a dairy until he entered the US Army in 1954 serving in Austria and Germany during the Korean Conflict.  After his discharge as Corporal in 1956 he worked for Farmers Supply & Hardware Water Street, Meadville, repairing chain saws and pumps until he was employed by Sears Roebuck and Company, also of Water Street, as a service technician beginning January 1958.  His Sears employment continued uninterrupted until his retirement forty years later having worked from Titusville, Corry, Meadville, Greenville and Erie stores.

He started building PA Systems in high school.  Later he moved into repairing radio and television.  He had a Radio & TV repair shop in Cochranton until it was destroyed by fire in 1961.  Also at an early age he started working with locks and subsequently started Meadville Safe & Lock in 1970.  He attained a notable achievement as a ranking Certified Professional Locksmith (CPL), being a member of the National Locksmith Association, Safe and Vault Technicians Assoc. (SAVTA) and Penn Ohio Locksmith Association (POLA) during this time.

Following his love for music he joined the Pennsylvania Ridge Runners, August 3, 1949, playing violin publicly for the first time at the Minnow Brook Dance Hall.  April 21st the following year he transferred to Les Roberts Band playing at the East Mead Fire Hall.  He played with many local musicians throughout the years and sometimes had his own band often working three times a week.  He took up the guitar and liked to jam at the Wild Country Dance Hall on Thursday nights.

He had a phenomenal memory and could still recite all the poems that he learned in school and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” which was memorized as he drove down the highway from place to place servicing.

In December 1963 he married Mary Ann McPheters and she survives.  He is survived by one son Robert Nelson Herrington and wife Elizabeth of Meadville; two grandsons Tyler and Zachary; a niece Cyndi and nephews Scott and Jan(Rebecca) Weaver and Jan’s children Hunter and MacKenzie of New Mexico and a cousin Pat Morris of Linesville.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Harriet Lee; a brother-in-law, E.H. (Bud) Weaver; paternal grandparents, Charles Nelson and Georgia Shear Herrington and maternal grandparents, Dr. Ernest and Sadie Trimble Geiser.

Calling hours will be Friday from 4-8 p.m. at the Robert W. Waid Funeral Home, Inc., 581 Chestnut Street, Meadville.

The graveside service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. in Conneaut Cemetery, Fairfield Twp., with Rev. Temple Jarrell, officiating.

The family wishes to thank the Doctors and Nurses of Meadville Medical Center, the Wound Clinic, and Transitional Care for their excellent care during his illnesses.

The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Robert C. Herrington be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or towards a Make a Difference Day, c/o United Way of Western Crawford County, P.O. Box 554, Meadville, PA 16335 (www.unitedwaywcc.org)

Memories and condolences may be shared at www.waidfuneralhome.net