Paul Robert (Bob) Boone

Captain Paul Robert (Bob) Boone, United States Navy Retired, passed away surrounded by family on December 1, 2025, at the Ben Atchley Tennessee State Veterans' Home in Knoxville, Tennessee. His life was a full and rich one with dedication to service; service to country, service to community and service to family at its core.

Bob was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma to Paul Lowther Boone and Ann Lee Drinnan Boone on May 8, 1941. Paul and Ann Lee taught for many years in the Shawnee School System and at Oklahoma Baptist University. Bob attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary School and was a 1959 graduate of Shawnee High School. He was an Eagle Scout, a member of the school barbershop quartet, and active in the drama department during that time. From there, he attended the University of Oklahoma on a Naval ROTC scholarship. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. After graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Sue Haygood, and began active duty as a supply corps officer with the United States Navy. His assignments included Hawaii, New Mexico, Georgia, and Puerto Rico as well as multiple deployments at sea during the Vietnam War. He developed into an expert marksman, winning several pistol competitions during that time. His last duty assignment was at NAS Millington, Tennessee. He retired from active duty, became a member of the Navy Reserves and accepted a position as Director of Financial Aid at the University of Memphis (known as Memphis State at the time). Bob and his wife, Sharon, were active supporters of the University of Memphis Tigers, being season ticket holders for both men's and women's basketball and football. They were a fixture at all the games as well as regularly attending team related radio broadcasts and coach's events. They were even recognized as the fans of the game at halftime one season, underscoring the enthusiasm they had for the Tiger community.

His interests were varied and made him a true renaissance man. Bob was an avid runner and member of the Memphis Track Club for many years winning multiple 10k races in his age group culminating in a career high of qualifying and finishing the Boston Marathon. He always said he waited until he was 40 years old so he had more time to finish. He continued his education while working full time, obtaining a masters degree, and then continued his post graduate studies by auditing as many history classes as were available, even after retirement. He also took up playing the ukulele. He was a trivia whiz, amazing all with a vast fund of factual knowledge. As an active member of the Germantown Lions Club for many years, Bob supervised the scholarship program for high school seniors. His service to others reached far and affected many. As a father and grandfather, "Bob" as the girls called him, was always ready for fun games and adventures. Bob's life was certainly rich and multifaceted, experiential of all of life's offerings.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Lowther Boone and Ann Lee Drinnan Boone, and his wife of sixty years, Sharon Sue Boone.

He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Susan Lynne Boone Roberts, Knoxville, Tennessee; his sister, Sally Boone Lupton, Albuquerque, New Mexico; his grandchildren, Grace McLain Roberts and Eliza Jane Roberts, Knoxville, Tennessee. He will be buried along with Sharon at the Tennessee Veterans' Cemetery outside of Knoxville Tennessee. Services will be announced at a later date.