Robert "Rob" Louis Hutchins

Robert "Bob" Louis Hutchins, 87, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend passed away at home in Linden on September 5, 2026. A funeral service in celebration of Bob's life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, at St. Jude's Episcopal Church, 106 E. Elizabeth St., Fenton, MI 48430. Visitation will be before the service, starting at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be directly after the service in the church's memorial garden, followed by a luncheon in the fellowship hall.

Bob was born on February 13, 1939, to Charles and Beulah Hutchins in Yale, MI. He spent many years of his childhood in Colorado, living in the mountains west of Denver. He led trail rides on horseback between Kittredge and Evergreen at age 11, and raced cars and motorcycles on Pikes Peak as a teenager. He and his brothers considered those mountains their playground, and he had countless stories about their adventures. As an adult, Bob took his family to Colorado every summer to revisit places from his childhood, and they made many more happy memories in his old stomping grounds.

Bob graduated from Coldwater High School in 1957. From 1957 to 1963, Bob served in the Air National Guard. He earned a degree in Motor Transportation Administration from Tri-State College in 1963 and started his career at General Motors immediately after. He retired from his position as fleet manager at GM in 1993. Bob took on a second career as manager of transportation at the Mass Transportation Authority in Flint, where he retired in 2011. Bob then began his third career as a real estate agent, working for Coldwell Banker of Fenton until he passed. He also served on the Lake Fenton Board of Education from 2017 until 2024.

In 1964, Bob married his beloved wife, Teresa “Terri” (Tompkins), in Coldwater, MI. Bob and Terri started out in Flint, MI, before they moved to Flushing for several years. They moved with their four children to Lake Fenton in 1980 and lived there until 1995, when they moved to Loon Lake in Linden, MI. Bob always prioritized his wife and family, and worked hard his entire life to provide for them. He often shared pictures on social media of the sunrise and the sunset from their deck overlooking the lake. He loved his view of the water and the goings-on of lake life.

Bob loved planes and got his pilot's license at age 19. Sometimes a trip for his kids to go see Grandma meant flying from Bishop Airport to Branch County Airport in the Cherokee 6. Bob also loved classic cars and drove his ’57 Thunderbird and ’48 Packard whenever he could.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Charles and Edwin. Robert is survived by his wife of 62 years, Teresa; his children, Kathryn (Mike) Mermuys, Jennifer (Chad) Lau, Amanda (Robert) Wolfbrandt, and Robert (Jessica) Hutchins; his grandchildren, Abby (Doug) Jones, Nick (Kendall) Mermuys, Malia Lau, Kalani (Sean) Trombley, Kapi Lau, Kai Lau, Saffron Wolfbrandt, Dexter Hutchins, Olive Hutchins, Lachlan Hutchins, and Wren Hutchins; great-grandsons, Kayce, Fraser, and Hudson, as well as many, many friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Robert's name to Wounded Warrior Project or St. Jude's Episcopal Church of Fenton.

Tributes may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com