Robert "Bobby" Joseph Eckert, Jr., passed away peacefully on June 12, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Bobby was born on November 7, 1989, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Chester, Pennsylvania. Bobby received his early education at the Timothy School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and his secondary education at Elwyn in Media, Pennsylvania.

Bobby spent his days enjoying the simple things in life. He was never far from his iPad, where he'd watch his favorite shows, including Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and Shining Time Station, while snacking on cookies and chips. His favorite activity was his weekly visits with his parents at his childhood home, where they would enjoy sunny days on his favorite deck swing, followed by many slices of pizza for dinner. Bobby's parents loved his weekly visits just as much as he did.

Bobby is survived by his loving and dedicated parents, Robert Sr. and Joanne, his brother Jake (Sydney), and his sister Julia (Matthew).Visitation: Saturday, June 20, 2026 10:00am-11:00am at Saint Katherine Drexel Church, 1920 Providence Avenue Chester, PA, 19013. Funeral Mass: Saturday, June 20 2026, 11:00am at Saint Katherine Drexel Church. Burial: Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to The Timothy Fund in support of The Timothy School at https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E22106&id=73, and the United Spinal Association at https://unitedspinal.org/.

Bobby’s Eulogy

Hi everyone. Thank you for being with us today. I am Bobby’s younger sister Julia.

When I was a little girl and I was first learning about the concept of heaven, I remember my dad told me that in the eyes of God, Bobby was considered perpetually innocent, and he was therefore automatically granted entrance into heaven. Which, I think, we can all agree on.

Now as an adult, I think more about Bobby’s perpetual innocence and what it meant in the context of his internal life. Because Bobby couldn't speak, his internal life was always somewhat of a mystery to us, but if you spent enough time with him, you could get a sense of what he was thinking through his behavior and disposition. I got the sense that Bobby never had a judgmental thought about himself or anyone else. He probably never once in his entire life wished anyone unwell. He probably never felt greed, or vanity, or self-consciousness. He probably didn’t ruminate about the past or worry about the future. These character flaws that we all grow into and spend our entire lives trying to overcome never occurred to Bobby. As a recovering perfectionist myself, I like to say that perfection doesn’t exist, but considering all of this, I think Bobby might be the exception to that rule. If you knew him, you knew he was just here to enjoy the simple things that life had to offer. All he ever wanted was to sit outside on his swing and watch Mr. Rogers and eat pizza. If you looked into his eyes, you could see a soulful, open presence who experienced the world one moment at a time with nonjudgemental curiosity. Bobby was perfect from the day he was born until the day that he died.

The cost that Bobby paid for this perpetual innocence was that he never developed the ability to fend for himself as an adult. But the universe did him an immense kindness, and Bobby was born to our parents, Robert and Joanne. They would have gone to the ends of the Earth and back for Bobby. If you ask my mom, she’ll remind you that she would have gone to the ends of the Earth for all three of her children, which I know is true, but Jake and I had the luxury of growing up to a point where we could fend for ourselves, like most children eventually do. Bobby didn’t have that luxury, and his life was a constant uphill battle to get the care and accommodations that he needed. But he was blessed with a mom and dad who fought beside him every day for 36 years, keeping him safe, protected, and loved. And if they ever saw that he was in a situation where he wasn’t safe or loved, they swooped in so fast and moved heaven and Earth to get him back to safety.

Bobby was a perfect, innocent soul born into an imperfect world. Our parents fought valiantly to protect him from that world and give him the best life possible. And I think that they were successful.

I’d like to end with a poem that resonated deeply with my mom as she continued to fight valiantly for Bobby’s wellbeing in the last few months of his life. It is called “By God’s Amazing Grace” by Anthony Theodore

When man has done all he is able to do, it is also by God's grace that the Lord formulates the ultimate outcome.

Although the plans of the heart belong to man, nevertheless, the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Everything happens by God's amazing grace.