Robert Hewes Obituary

“He then moved to Naples in 1989. Bob joined Downing-Frye Realty, Inc. on August 5, 1992. Over the years, he won numerous company awards. Since 2009, Bob has been one of the trainers for DowningFrye agents. His expertise was focused on technology. Since 1992 Bob was an active member of the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR). He served on many committees at NABOR and was inducted into the Florida Association of Realtors Honor Society and NABOR Honor Society in 1992. His numerous accomplishments include NABOR Educator of the Year in 1995, Realtor of the Year in 1997, President’s Award Recipient in 1999 and REALTOR Committee Contribution Award in 1999 and 2011. He received the Member Spotlight Award in 1999 and 2002 and was awarded the Task Force Contribution Award in 2009 and 2013. He has been a Director at NABOR since 2010. He received the Committee Member Spotlight in 2010 and was inducted into the NABOR Hall of Fame in 2013.”

A couple of vendor friends have reached out to me about Bob’s passing. Any vendor over the last 10 to 15 years doing business in Florida had worked with Bob. For some reason I always thought he had been an actor previously. He kind had that old school “leading man” look. Just recently Katie and I worked with him on getting Cloud CMA available in the Naples area. Such a loss to the industry, he really cared and gave a lot. I’m sure everyone shares my heart felt condolences for his family. May he rest in peace.

This one is tough. Not sure if I was going to write about it but needed to say something. Many of you know Kristi Graning while she worked at RE/MAX International. I first got to know her while working at eNeighborhoods when we worked with her closely re-launching remax.com as a “network of broker idx sites”. It became the standard for how modern broker and franchise portals work today. Kristi was our leader in that effort. We spent many long days, nights and weekends getting that project done. Flying back and forth from Florida to Colorado. It was one of the most rewarding times in my professional life. Around that time Kristi was pregnant, the joke was she was giving birth to two babies, the new remax.com and her new baby boy.

Kristi’s husband, Eric, recently died in a tragic motorcycle accident. So heartbreaking for Kristi and their two young boys, Tey and Dax.

You can read about Eric here. A celebration of Eric life is being held today.

I can’t be there today Kristi but please know I, and many others, are thinking of you and your loss today.

“O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.”

–Walt Whitman