Robert Bevington Fast, age 87, passed away peacefully at home on April 13 after a brief illness. The son of Anne Totten Fast and John F. Fast, Bob was raised in Cranford, NJ where he was educated in the public schools. He graduated from Penn State University with a BS degree in biochemistry in 1951. During the Korean Conflict he served as a meat and dairy inspector in the Veterinary Corps of the Army Medical Service.
In 1958, he married Patricia Cooper of Westfield, NJ and they resided in Ridgewood, NJ for 27 years where they raised their two children. Upon retirement, the couple moved to E. Poultney, VT where Bob pursued his lifelong love of gardening on a larger scale with great enthusiasm. In recent years, Bob and his wife have lived in Rutland VT and now Marlborough, MA.
During his 33-year career at Nabisco, Bob rose through various research positions, achieving the title Director of Research and Process Development for the Special Products Division. His specialty was development of new breakfast cereals and snacks. Alone and in conjunction with coworkers, he has holds five patents in these areas. Bob retired from Nabisco in 1984 and started his own food manufacturing consulting firm, which he operated until retiring completely in 2003.
Bob co-edited the first and only textbook on breakfast cereal technology, Breakfast Cereals and How They are Made, published by the American Ass'n of Cereal Chemists Int'l. Through the AACC, Bob enjoyed co-leading a short course on breakfast cereal production in the US and in several countries around the world over the last 30 years.
He and Pat were avid "birders", and enjoyed many wonderful nature trips to various points in the Americas. They likewise enjoyed 45 years of the nature surrounding their Adirondack camp in Long Lake, NY. Bob was an accomplished woodworker and took great joy in the creative process.
Bob served several church congregations in leadership positions over his lifetime. He was a proud member of the Masonic Lodge in Poultney. Bob was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and is survived by his beloved wife, Pat, daughter, Carolyn Coffin, her husband Andrew and grandchildren Calvin, Eliza and Rachel, all of Concord, MA, and many dear nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by cherished son Robert, Jr., and older brother, John F. Fast, Jr.
Family and friends will gather for a memorial service on Saturday, May 7 at 2:00 pm in the Memorial Congregational Church, 26 Concord Rd., Sudbury.
Burial will be private in the family plot in Long Lake, NY.
Donations in his memory may be made to:
Long Lake Library
1195 Main Street
Long Lake, NY 12847
or a charity of your choice