Robert H. Sweeney, formerly of Wilmington, Delaware, Alexandria and Kilmarnock, Virginia, and Navarre, Florida, died April 11, 2016 in Farnham, Virginia. He was born on December 3, 1931, in Wilmington, Delaware, the youngest of three children of C. Leslie and Winifred Sweeney. He attended the Tower Hill School, graduating in 1949 and Cornell University, graduating in 1953. He was a veteran of the United States Army. His working life was dedicated to the field of health care, serving as the food service administrator at the New Rochelle Hospital in New Rochelle, New York, as Administrator of the Riverside Hospital and the Alfred I. DuPont Institute in Wilmington, Delaware, and finally as Executive Director of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) in Wilmington, Delaware and Alexandria, Virginia from 1974 to 1992, where he pursued his passion as an advocate for children and children’s health care.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 51 years Ann Forrest Sweeney, and his brothers John A.H. Sweeney and C. Leslie Sweeney, Jr., M.D. He is survived by his five children and their spouses-Carole S. Reda (Louis) of Rocky Mount, NC, Mary S. Bowman (Jesse) of Miskimon, VA, Teresa S. Sydow (Douglas) of Gulf Breeze, FL, Robert H. Sweeney, Jr. (Patty) of Huntington, WV, and C. Leslie Sweeney, II (Sarah) of Evergreen, CO; and ten grandchildren. Additionally, he is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
His family would like to extend their heart-felt gratitude to his caregivers Sara and Eboni, who provided him with care, comfort and companionship for many months.
A Funeral Mass will be scheduled in Delaware in the near future, with internment at All Saints Cemetery in Wilmington, DE.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Shriners Children’s Hospitals 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607, the Community of Poor Clares, 2505 Stone Hedge Drive, Alexandria, VA 22306-2451 or a children’s charity of your choice.
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