Jenny Marrs Shares Touching Tribute to Late ‘Uncle Bob’

HGTV star Jenny Marrs and her family suffered a devastating loss when a friend and neighbor suddenly passed away. Marrs took a moment to share a touching tribute to their late friend and beloved community member.

Jenny Marrs Remembers Friend Her Kids Called ‘Uncle Bob’

On May 10, Marrs took to Instagram to write about the passing of a dear friend of the family. “I remember not long after we had moved to the farm, Bob came over and the kids and I were outside. He invited us over to see his ‘gun and knife collection.’ At the time, the boys were 4, Sylvie was 2 and Charlotte was a newborn,” Marrs wrote.

Initially, she said that invitation was concerning. “All the alarm bells from my ‘stranger danger’ upbringing in Florida were going off. But. There was something about Uncle Bob (as the kids eventually called him),” she noted. “He seemed tough yet I sensed he was gentle because he exuded a tangible warmth and kindness. I agreed to the tour and the boys were enthralled.”

Marrs went on to explain how dear Bob became to their family. “Over the years, Bob gifted them each a knife from his collection and he dreamt of taking them hunting in his beloved South Africa,” she shared. “Charlotte and Bob would talk for hours (and hours) about animals, he could make Sylvie laugh on any given day, and, after Luke was born, Bob’s arms were his favorite place to be. He was the baby whisperer.”

The HGTV star continued, “Bob adored my kids and they, in turn, adored him. Birthdays and holidays and random Tuesday nights at Gusano’s were celebrated with our Uncle Bob. He was family.”

Marrs Shares ‘He Lived & Loved Well’

The “Fixer to Fabulous” star also recalled what a regular fixture their neighbor became in their lives. “I will forever miss looking out the kitchen window to see Bob driving over in the tractor to deliver more hay to the pasture (we never asked him to — he just saw the hay was low and he took care of it for us),” she wrote.

“I’ll miss he and Jill popping over on ‘the buggy’ to join us for dinner or to sit and laugh in the driveway on summer nights,” Marrs continued. “I’ll miss his text reminders about an upcoming livestock auction. I’ll miss his laugh most of all.”

She also reflected on Bob’s view on life and death, as she shared details of one of the conversations they had over dinner. “Just before they left on this last trip to South Africa, we had Bob and Jill over for dinner and we got on the topic of being fearful of traveling so far,” she wrote. “I’ll never, ever forget Bob’s words. He said poignantly, ‘Jen, my name’s already in the book and the date is written beside it. Nothing I can do to change it so I may as well live while I’m here.”

Marrs shared, “And, he most certainly did. He lived and loved well and I know without the shadow of a doubt that when that day came (sooner than any of us had hoped), he heard the words: Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done.”