Robert Emmett Haughey, Jr. was born in McKeesport, PA on July 21, 1948 to Robert Emmett Haughey, Sr. and Juanita Pearl (Meadows) Haughey. At his core, Rob was an explorer who loved learning about the world around him. His pursuit of adventure began at a young age, spending most of his free time exploring the woods in his hometown alongside his siblings and friends. He grew up in a household as one of 8 children. He also served as a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout which helped to strengthen his love of nature. Rob attended University of Cincinnati and majored in Pre-Medicine to follow in the footsteps of his father who was also a physician. While in college, Rob was an active member of the university orchestra where he excelled at playing French horn. Passionate about music, he also taught himself how to play piano and guitar.

Rob attended medical school in Belgium, Brussels where he amazingly completed his coursework in the French language. During his time in Europe, he traveled to numerous countries where he admired the landscapes, culture, art, and food while making many friends along the way, including his lifelong friend Dr. Patricia Baccash. After graduating from medical school and returning to the United States, he completed additional medical coursework at Temple University and shortly thereafter, met Cynthia Weidman. Sharing a sense of adventure, they moved across the country to Fresno, California where Rob worked as an Emergency Medicine physician at St. Agnes Hospital. While in Fresno, Rob and Cindy’s first two children, Jennifer and Allison, were born. Rob’s other pride and joy, his infamous 1984 VW Vanagon joined the family, leading to decades of road trips. While living in California, Rob was active within the volunteer organizations Physicians For Social Responsibility and Beyond War where he educated the public about the dangers of nuclear war. Several years later, Rob and his family moved back to Pennsylvania, and he returned to school to study anesthesia. Around the same time, his third child, Robert Emmett Haughey, III, was born.

Rob began working as an anesthesiologist at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, PA which prompted his family’s next move to Glen Mills, PA in 1989. Rob’s intelligence, medical expertise, and passion for helping others was demonstrated in his daily practice as an anesthesiologist. He also developed lifelong friendships with many of his colleagues at Riddle who became like family to him.

Rob created a life of adventure for his family while sharing his love of camping, sailing, skiing, traveling, attending concerts and festivals, and much more. He and his family also enjoyed frequent trips to Philadelphia to eat dim sum in Chinatown, visit the Franklin Institute, and attend the yearly car show. He also ensured his household was filled with storytelling, music, holiday celebrations, artifacts and artwork representative of various cultures, laughter, movies, endless gadgets, and the latest technology. Rob was passionate about philanthropy and was a regular donor to St. Jude, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Smithsonian, and political movements promoting equity and anti-violence.

After working at Riddle for over 20 years, Rob retired and began pursuing his other passions with a particular focus on traveling and paleontology. His childhood dream was to dig up dinosaurs, so he found an opportunity to work alongside and learn from paleontologists in Marmarth, North Dakota. He traveled there each summer for years to participate in “digs” and also began volunteering each week in the FossiLab at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Rob continued to camp and enjoy the outdoors, usually driving to his destination in his beloved VW Vanagon while also taking many international trips. He did all of this while also making sure to always show up for his family and friends. Rob loved becoming a grandfather and was affectionately called “dino pop-pop.” He was thrilled when his family expanded further in 2022 after his bonus brother was discovered through Ancestry.com.

Rob packed each day full of adventure and faced life with determination, curiosity, and an open heart. He continued to show this same amount of determination and strength after being diagnosed earlier this year with glioblastoma, the same aggressive brain cancer his father died of at age 49. Rob received excellent medical care and faced his ongoing treatment with strength, perseverance, and humor.

Rob, 77, of Glen Mills, PA passed away peacefully at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA on September 16, 2025 after spending his final months surrounded by his loved ones. He was preceded in death by his father Robert Emmett Haughey, Sr., mother Juanita (Meadows) Haughey, brother Stephen Haughey, brother-in-law Samuel Harper, and childhood best friend Dennis Howell. He is survived by his children Jennifer Robinson; Allison (Justin) Kulp; Robert (Jennifer Wortham) Haughey, III; and their mother, Cynthia Anne Haughey. He is also survived by his grandchildren Grayson and Maisie Robinson, step-grandson Ryan Neal, as well as his siblings Patricia Harper, Bonita (Anthony) Yagiela, Danielle Haughey, Philip Haughey, Mark Haughey, Beth (Michael) Moore, sister-in-law Carol Haughey, Robert Daniel (Mary Anne) Davis, many nieces and nephews, and many friends. His legacy will live on through everyone who had the honor of knowing him, and his presence will be truly missed.

In accordance with his wishes, one of his final gifts was having his body donated to medical science. Through the Humanity Gift Registry, Rob’s body was donated to the Penn State College of Medicine for the purpose of advancing medical research and supporting the studies of medical students. To further honor his legacy, please consider donating to the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History by  mailing a check to Smithsonian NMNH, PO Box 418320, Boston, MA 02241-8320 with “In Memory of Robert E. Haughey” in the memo line or by visiting https://naturalhistory.si.edu…. You can also consider making a donation to the Glioblastoma Foundation to support ongoing glioblastoma research at https://glioblastomafoundatio…. Family and friends are invited to Rob’s celebration of life service at 1:00 pm on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at Tyler Arboretum located in Media, PA. After the service, we will have food and refreshments to enjoy as we continue to remember Rob on the beautiful grounds of Tyler Arboretum. Please see the "Events" tab on the website for more details.

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