Robert (Bob) S. Burnell, 85, of Fryeburg, Maine, died Friday, Aug. 11, at the Bedford Hills Center in Bedford, N.H., due to bone cancer.

The son of Percy and Olive (Stanton) Burnell, Bob was born and raised in West Baldwin, Maine. He graduated from Fryeburg Academy in 1950, then served in the U.S. Navy until 1954. After his time in uniform, Bob earned a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maine, Orono. He later earned a Master's in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. His long career included work on early versions of fiber-optic communications at AT&T's Bell Labs offices in North Andover, Mass.

In his spare time, Bob gave back to the community in several ways. He spent many years on the Timberlane Regional School Board in New Hampshire. His leadership on the board's Technology Committee helped put Timberlane at the forefront of the personal computer age in the early 1980s. His love of skiing took him to the National Ski Patrol in 1964. Bob's skiing and emergency medicine skills earned him Senior Patrolman status during his more than 30 years of helping skiers at areas such as the Highlands and the Balsams/Wilderness in New Hampshire.

He continued serving others well into his retirement, becoming the "unofficial" videographer of the Fryeburg Fair for more than a decade. He honed his photography and videography interests through amateur groups and seminars, sometimes providing videotapes of the proceedings to other participants. His very active retired life included multiple road trips to record the natural beauty of the American West, Canada, Alaska, and even a driving tour of Australia.

He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, of Derry, N.H.; daughter Lauren McDonald of Albuquerque; sons Jeffrey Bannon and his partner, Edgardo Salinas, of New York City, David Bannon and his wife, Teri Landauer, of Alsea, Ore., Scott Burnell and his wife, April, of Brunswick, Md., Dean Burnell and his wife, Perry, of Johnson, Vt., and Ross Burnell and his wife, Liz LoGiudice, of Hannacroix, N.Y.; nephews Clinton Brooks and his wife, Eldonna, of Colebrook, N.H., Stan Brooks of Peak's Island, Maine, and Lee Brooks and his wife, Ann, of Columbia Falls, Mont.; and grandchildren Elise Hoover, Ben McDonald and Vivien Burnell.

A memorial service will be held at Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home, 116 Main St. in Plaistow, N.H., on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. A service in West Baldwin is planned for later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Bob's name to the American Cancer Society , to Arbor House at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, or to the National Ski Patrol .