Robert was born in Elizabeth, NJ and is the great-grandson of George C. Ford, who founded one of the first funeral homes in Elizabeth during the 1800s. He grew up in Union, NJ and graduated from Union High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in the South Pacific participating in "action against the enemy" on the Solomon and Palau Islands. After being honorably discharged at the war’s end, Robert completed his internship in funeral service and graduated from McAllister School of Embalming in New York City in 1949.
In 1956, the Robert L. Ford Funeral Home, Inc. was incorporated and in March of 1958, Robert's long-time dream of continuing his family’s tradition in funeral service was realized with the opening of a new facility on Route 31 in Flemington. This opening marked the first time in Hunterdon County that such a facility was designed and built from the ground up as a funeral home.
For over forty years, Robert served in the position of Service Officer for the American Legion Post 159 and V.F.W. Post 7856 right here in Flemington. He also held the same position for the American Legion at the county level for several years.
His other civic activities include:
Robert was married to his wife, Janet Lasenick for over 50 years. For many years, they lived directly adjacent to the funeral home.
