AUGUSTA – Robert “Gunny” L. Knox, 63, a resident of Nowell Road, Winslow, died peacefully Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Togus Medical Center, after a brief battle with cancer.

He was born May 25, 1945, in Norfolk, Va. He was adopted and raised by Robert and Ruby (Dunn) Knox of Augusta, Ga. Bob served in the Marine Corps from 1962 to 1976. He completed three tours of duty in Vietnam, one with the First BN, Ninth Marines, a unit known as “the Walking Dead.” He was awarded the Bronze Star and attained the rank of gunnery sergeant when honorably discharged.

He worked for Southern Railway in Augusta, Ga., as switchman, before relocating to Vermont in 1978. He then worked 10 years for Canadian Pacific Railway as a conductor and brakeman, until their station closed. For the next 16 years, he worked as a home health aide for the Rutland Area Visiting Nurses of Vermont providing hospice care.

At the age of 50, he enrolled as a freshman at Castleton State College, Vt. In May 1998, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work. He relocated to Maine and went on to earn his master’s degree in social work from the University of New England – Biddeford in May 1999.

Upon graduation, he went to work for the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs at the Lewiston Veterans’ Center as a readjustment and guidance counselor. His Marine Corps Esprit de Corps was not just a saying. He was an example of its meaning when helping the area’s veterans and families. He retired in 2005.

He was a quiet man who loved his family, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed boating, fishing, watching NASCAR and listening to country music. He was a lifetime member of the Winslow Veterans of Foreign Wars, MacCrillis-Rousseau, Post 8835 and a member of the Waterville American Legion.

He will be sadly missed by his wife, Morgan (Sonesen) Knox; his daughter, Tina and her husband, Ken Blay, of St. Johnsbury, Vt.; his two sons, Rob and his wife, Heather, of Flushing, Ohio, and Daniel Knox of Lyndonville, Vt.; stepson, Clint and his wife, Tawna-Marie English, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; his grandchildren, Joshua, Garrett, Teagan, Mackenzie and Austin; and extended family and friends.