BANGOR – Robert H. Veal died peacefully March 30, 2012, with his loving family by his side at a local hospital, from complications of lung cancer. Bob was born Aug. 23, 1935, in Tyler, Texas, to Berniece and Archie Veal.
Bob spent his early years in Texas and Arkansas. When he was 10 years old, he and his family moved to Richmond, Calif. He graduated from El Cerrito High School in 1953 and this is where he met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Pat Banks. He joined the National Guard at age 15 and after high school joined the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1953. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton and shipped off to Korea as part of the First Marine Division. While in Korea he transferred to the Division Military Police and continued these duties upon his return to Camp Pendleton. After discharge from the military, Bob served as a police officer for El Cerrito Police Department for eight years and in 1964 was hired by the U.S. Customs Service as a special agent for the treasury department. He began his career with the Customs Service working on the waterfront in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., and was then transferred to the Los Angeles Field Office where the concentration was on drug smuggling between the Mexican and U.S. border. After transfer back to San Francisco, Bob spent several months working as a sky marshall and during that time traveled extensively throughout the world. During that time he traveled with Neil Armstrong and King Hussein of Jordan among others and on one special assignment, guarded Richard Nixon during a campaign stop in San Francisco. After sky marshall duty Bob was sent to Fort Belvoir, Va., to train sky marshalls and subsequently he and his family moved to Rocky Point, N.Y., where he was assigned to the U.S. Customs School at Hofstra University. In 1973 Bob and his family moved to Houlton, where he spent the remainder of his career as resident agent in Houlton, retiring in 1989. While in Houlton he had the privilege of working with Canadian Customs, RCMP and other Canadian law enforcement agencies whom he always said were the finest law enforcement people that he had worked with. After retirement, Bob and Pat enjoyed many years traveling between their homes in Cave Creek, Ariz., and Bangor and spending time with family and friends. Bob was a lifelong learner and once he had mastered one new adventure, he found a new one to be impassioned about. He was a skilled small plane and glider pilot and in his later years he and his son Rob spent many happy hours at the “Billings Estate” restoring vintage automobiles. He loved the old west, the Civil War and the rich history of this country, and during family trips he always insisted on stopping to view historical sites which at the time aggravated his children to no end but as they grew gave them an appreciation for history. His sense of humor was legendary and he kept it to the very end.
Bob is survived by his wife of 56 years, Pat Veal of Bangor; daughters, Beth and Bill Adams of Levant and Leslie and Jim Spencer of Glenburn; son, Rob Veal of Hermon; grandchildren, Benjamin Adams of Clarksville, Tenn., Joel Adams of Bangor, Justine Spencer of Revere, Mass., J. Spencer of Glenburn and Jessica Veal Pohlman of Silverton, Colo.; one brother, Everett Veal of Hayward, Calif.; beloved pets, Smudge and Katie; and friends far and wide.
Family and friends may visit 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at Kiley & Foley Funeral Service, 299 Union St., Bangor, where a service honoring Robert’s life will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 4, with the Rev. Jerry Mick, pastor of Bangor Baptist Church, presiding. Burial with military honors will be at a later date at Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Mount Vernon Road, Augusta. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Kindred Spirits, P.O. Box 63, Orrington, ME 04474. Condolences to Robert’s family may be offered at
www.kileyandfoley.com.