- February 4, 2025
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The community of Port Orange bid a fond farewell to its longtime leader, friend, husband, father, former police chief and councilman, Robert Eugene Ford, on Saturday, Jan. 12.
While people came to pay their respects to the Ford family, the remembrance service was really a lesson about how Ford touched people’s lives.
It was a gathering of heroes. Members of the Port Orange Fire Department were solemn as they walked down the center aisle of the crowd, at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home, to make a presentation to the Ford family. The Volunteers in Police Service sat in one section to lend their support. Men and women in uniforms sat scattered among the crowd, as did members of City Council.
It was a sacred occasion; The front of the room was filled with memorabilia from Ford's life. Slideshows around the room displayed pictures.
Ford grew up in an Irish Catholic family of seven. He was the oldest of five children, and the only boy. His sister, Genie Quinn, youngest of the clan, and a now a teacher of gifted students, talked about how he both pranked the girls and protected them. She said that even as a child, one could tell Ford was different — that he thought different and was gifted.
She said he disliked school and she found it ironic that he ended up with so many degrees in education. Ford got his undergraduate degree from Niagara University where he graduated magna cum laude. Ford received both a masters and doctorate degree in sociology from the University of Illinois, where he worked in law enforcement while in graduate school. He taught criminal justice and research at the University of Central Florida until 2016.
Ford’s innovations as police chief, his wit and sense of humor, "sparkling eyes," and the ability to tell a good story were focal points of his eulogy. His leadership and consideration of his students at UCF was a strong part of who he was. His love of gardening, his devotion to his family and the people of Port Orange were some of the many qualities those who spoke shared with guests. It was evident in all of the memories that he was devoted to Marilyn, his wife of 34 ½ years.
Ford’s eulogy was abundant with memories of a man well-loved, a life well-lived, and a man who put service before self as his way of living. The service concluded with an invitation for guests to share in Ford’s favorite treat, Breyer’s vanilla ice cream.
