Robert Alfred Jernigan

Robert Alfred Jernigan, a man with a big heart, passed away on December 26, 2023 at his home in Wilmington, NC. He was born in 1948 in Glasgow, Montana, to Edwin and Esther Jernigan (deceased). After moving to Mississippi in 1966, Bob eventually graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering. His remarkable career spanned the decades from the 1970s-2020s across the Eastern seaboard and beyond. Bob is remembered by peers and subordinates alike as a talented engineer who set the highest standards and led with passion, purpose, and integrity.

To those who enjoyed the privilege of his presence, it was clear that sobriety was Bob’s North Star, beginning June 26, 1982. He will be remembered by family, friends, and almost anyone who interacted with him for being generous of his spirit, time, and energy. Bob was always leading the charge to help, sometimes working up to the edge of his own physical limits.

Bob loved his family with his whole heart. He first became a parent when Michele Jernigan was born of his first marriage to Charlotte. Bob eventually married Jennie and lovingly co-parented Daniel, Lisa, Jonathan, and Katelyn, deeply caring for all as his own. Ultimately, Layne Clark and Bob were wed in 2017, expanding his family even further to include her children, Soren Wilhelmsen and Leah Faustin, and their children. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by many more people than can be acknowledged here.

Bob is also survived by his brother Gary Jernigan and several cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, and god children.

Bob’s amazing life will be celebrated at Unity Church at 717 Orchard Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403 on January 13, 2024 at 11a.

Aquamation Services are provided by Tranquility Cremation by Aquamation.