Robert Wiesener

Robert Wayne “Bob” Wiesener was born on May 7th, 1930 in Rochester, MN and passed away on December 1, 2022, in Kannapolis, NC; he was 92 Years old. He is survived by his children Ellen Blake and Pamela Che; grandchildren, Anthony Suneson and Salika Che; 4 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Robert had unwavering commitment to both his family and his career. He always put his family first, making many personal sacrifices along the way for them; especially when it came to caring for his wife. Robert was a longtime member of the American Nuclear Society and was recipient of the prestigious Ray Goertz Award in 1991 for his contributions to the field of Remote Technology in hazardous environments. He was also active with the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and held multiple United States Patents.

Robert began his adulthood by serving in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army where he made over 200 jumps as a Paratrooper. Only through the GI bill was he able to attend Tri-State College in Indiana, earning a Mechanical Engineering degree. Robert went to college year round full time and worked in a foundry full time, receiving his 4 year degree in just 30 months. He began a journey that led him to become a leading expert worldwide in the field of Robotics and Remote Systems. In 1956, he accepted a position at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in NM where he received recognition for his work on a remote maintenance machine called the Minotaur. In 1968, he moved to St Paul, MN and accepted a position at PaR Systems. While at PaR, notable achievements included designing Nuclear Refueling Equipment for Power Plants, Power Robotic Systems, and the Tru-Motion Mini Manipulator. In 1985, he moved to Irvine, CA and accepted a position as Director of Nuclear Technology at Fluor Corporation. While at Fluor, Robert was involved with a number of remote handling projects involving the Deactivation & Decommissioning of Nuclear facilities. Not ready to retire just yet, he obtained the intellectual property rights to the Telemanipulator he patented back in 1972 from PaR Systems. Robert founded Tru-Motion Products, LLC in Albemarle, NC in 1993 and began marketing his Telemanipulator to the Nuclear Medicine Community. After 25 years of success with his business, Robert retired in 2018 at the age of 88. He spent the last 4 years of his life resting peacefully at his home in Harrisburg, NC.

Robert was preceded in death by his wife Alma Elizabeth “Lib” Brown Wiesener. In 1993, they relocated to her hometown of Albemarle, NC where they met at a restaurant named Harmanco’s in 1950 while he was stationed at Fort Bragg.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, December 11, 2022 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Hartsell Funeral Home in Albemarle, NC. A graveside service will be held at Stanly Gardens of Memory in Albemarle, NC at 2:00 pm, on Monday December 12th, 2022.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Albemarle is serving the Wiesener family.

Online condolences may be made at www.hartsellfh.com