Robert Andrew Churchhouse was born on October 13th 1956 to Doctor (later Professor) Robert and Julia Churchhouse both of Manchester, UK.
Bob’s arrival was so quick that his father delivered him at their family home in Arlington, Virginia. With umbilical cord still attached, Bob was whisked to hospital in an ambulance with police outriders. From that point on, Bob was always in a hurry to maximise life’s opportunities!
The family returned to the UK in 1957 after his Dad’s two year assignment at the British Embassy in Washington. Bob would be educated at St. Gregory’s (Cheltenham), St. Edmund’s (Abingdon), Salesian College (Oxford) and St. Illtyd’s College (Cardiff). Bob’s school years developed his lifelong love of sport and he became a very accomplished school and club footballer and cricketer.
In adult life, Bob also became very skilled at squash, tennis and golf. For many years Bob was also a very keen runner. Despite being English, Bob’s time in Cardiff made him a lifelong and passionate supporter of the Welsh rugby team. After school, Bob graduated with a degree in Economics and Accountancy from University College, Cardiff. Following university, Bob trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse. In the final year of school, Bob had met and dated Tina Harris. Bob and Tina were married shortly after Bob’s graduation and soon they were blessed with the arrivals of their two beautiful daughters, Kirsty and Claire. The family moved to Dubai in 1987 when Bob joined Ernst and Whinney and then soon relocated to Abu Dhabi which would be Bob’s home for the next 30 years.
Bob subsequently moved to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) where he developed the rest of his career rising to be a Senior Advisor to the office of the Managing Director. During his time at ADIA, Bob was asked to lead the very lengthy and high-profile investigation into the collapse of the BCCI bank; work that he was immensely proud of. In 2005, Bob met Luci Marshall through mutual friends. It was clear to all from the start, that Bob and Luci were perfectly matched and they married in 2007 on a Barbados beach. Bob and Luci remained inseparable soulmates until Bob’s untimely passing. A highlight of Bob’s sporting CV was that in 2001, Bob was asked to play at the European Tour Dubai Desert Classic in a Pro-Am group with the emerging young golf star, Ian Poulter. This was the start of a 20-year friendship that saw them meet many times around the world including at many major golf events.
Bob also became a strong candidate for having the largest collection of IJP clothing! Bob and Luci retired in 2019 and they split their time between their homes in Netherne-on-the-Hill, Villeneuve-sur-lot and Orlando. Bob was a very proud U.S.-born Brit who delighted in all aspects of U.S. and British history and culture.
The Florida base enabled many gatherings to spend very happy times with his American extended family both in Boston and Orlando. Following his love of cricket, in retirement Bob trained as an English Cricket Board (ECB) umpire. Subsequently, summer weekends would see him, beautifully attired, “standing” as an umpire for his local cricket team. Ever the epitome of the sartorial English gentleman.
Leaving us all far too soon, Bob is survived by his beloved wife Luci, daughters Kirsty and Claire and their husbands Micky and Corey, grandchildren Oliver, Henry and Mia and brothers Gerry and John and their wives Diane and Catherine.
A visitation will be held on December 5, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Osceola Memory Gardens, located at 1717 Old Boggy Creek Rd., in Kissimmee.