Robert James Hebert

Robert J. Hebert was born on May 25, 1946, in Lyndonville, Vermont, to Marion Mathewson Hebert and Adrian Joseph Hebert.  Bob graduated with honors from the local hIgh school, Lyndon Institute.  He attended Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a degree in Industrial Engineering. His early career was in hospital engineering, serving hospitals in Rhode Island, Eustis, Florida, and Lakeland Regional Hospital. He moved on to space engineering for a short while, but spent the majority of his career in the phosphate industry in central Florida.

He married Jeanne Shea in May of 1987, becoming step dad to her four children. One year later, he became a father for the first time with the birth of Adrian Mathewson Hebert. Bob was very involved in volunteer work with First Methodist Church of Lakeland, working with the Tuesday Tigers to do home repairs in the community. One of his favorite volunteer activities was going with the youth on mission trips like ASP (Appalachian Service Project}.  He loved teaching young people how to use power tools and how to do the simple tasks needed to repair a home.

After retirement, his volunteer work led to his second career, "Bob Hebert - The House Doctor.”  With his vast knowledge of how things work, he could fix anything and everything.  He quickly became a household name in the Lakeland area.  He never advertised, yet had over 300 clients. It was said that he would come in, fix what was broken, pet your dog, and tell you that you looked nice today. He was aptly described as having ”an engineer's brain and a servant's heart.” 

In 2021, the Heberts moved to a mountain home in Clayton, Georgia, where they enjoyed exploring the mountains and waterfalls that reminded Bob of his childhood Vermont mountains. Once again, Bob became known for his expertise and his giving heart. At Truth Chapel, he served the community alongside his brothers in Christ. 

One consistent thing in Bob’s life was his love of ice cream.  He was a master at seeking out the nearest ice cream parlor in any town. Baskin-Robbins or Dairy Queen were his choice for lunch many days.

He is survived by a loving wife, Jeanne Shea Hebert; son, Adrian Mathewson Hebert; Children: Ashley Sargeant Hagan, Shea Sargeant Nagel, Chase Sargeant and Tosh Sargeant; thirteen grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, August 26th, at 1:00 PM at First United Methodist Church, Lakeland, Florida.

The link to watch the service live stream:

Funeral Livestream | First United Methodist Church, Lakeland, FL

 In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

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