Obituary

Robert (Bob) Edward Hlavac was born to Edward and Mary Hlavac (nee Chopak) on August 18th, 1950 in Neptune New Jersey. He spent his youth in Narrowsburg, NY in the Catskill Mountains. He had one brother, Raymond, who died at birth. He was an athlete who played baseball, basketball and soccer for Narrowsburg High School. He was also an avid reader and top scholar in his high school class.

He was the first member of his family to attend college. He attended the State University of New York at Buffalo where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science. He rented a room from the Harzewski family in Buffalo, NY where he was introduced to his future wife, Mary Jane.

Bob attended one year of law school before moving to Washington, DC in 1974 for a clerk position with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Mary Jane and Bob were married in 1978.

Mary Jane and Bob welcomed twin sons, Jonathan & Andrew, to the family in 1980. The family moved from Washington, DC to Dale City, VA for several years before settling in Virginia Beach, VA. Bob's career with the FBI had him stationed at the naval base in Norfolk, VA during his time in Virginia. He became a Special Agent with the FBI in 1983. He was involved in the manhunt and capture of fugitive Thomas Manning in 1985.

A subsequent career transfer took the family to Scotch Plains, NJ so Bob could work out of the FBI office in Manhattan, NY. His expertise was Soviet Counterintelligence during the Cold War. He was also involved in the investigation of the first world Trade Center Bombing in 1993.

Another transfer for the FBI brought the Hlavac Family to Centerville, OH in 1995 and Ohio would become their home for the remainder of Bob's life. Bob was present at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) for the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. His career in Ohio involved counterintelligence operations in addition to investigating terrorists and drug traffickers. He retired from the FBI in 2003.

Bob's great passions included Yankees baseball, University of Buffalo football, Civil War history, reading, and playing games (trivia nights, Scrabble, Jeopardy!, etc...) with his family and friends. He survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary Jane, his twin sons, Jonathan (Veronica) and Andrew (Clara), and his grandchildren, Lily, Benjamin, Charlotte and William.

Memorial services will be held at Anderson Funeral Home in Springboro, OH on February 10, 2024. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM, a brief memorial service will commence at 1:00 PM followed by burial at David’s Cemetery in Kettering, OH at 1:45 PM. Donations in Bob’s memory should be directed to the Parkinson’s Foundation