Republican Robert Fohl's patriotism highlighted by life of service

In Allegheny County Republican circles, Robert Fohl was remembered as being a member of the greatest generation of Republicans, who stood for conservative principles in an era when it wasn't fashionable.

So said Roger Campbell of Lawrenceville in remembering his friend, who in 1984 received the Allegheny County Republican Committee Spirit of Lincoln Award during the Lincoln Day Dinner.

Robert P. Fohl of McCandless, former chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Allegheny County, died on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, in UPMC Passavant in McCandless. He was 80.

Attorney James G. Dunn, a friend, recalled Mr. Fohl as being trustworthy and reliable in his dealings with the Republican Party and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the latter of which he was a member for 12 years.

Mr. Fohl was known, said his wife, Joann, for his efforts on behalf of Eastern European refugees who fled communist rule after the end of World War II.

As a member of the Army Intelligence Agency, Mr. Fohl, who specialized in the Czechoslovakian language, served as an interpreter and adviser for people and families seeking a better life in the West.

And as a broadcaster, he spoke for Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.

Born and raised in Bellevue, Robert Fohl was one of two children in the family of Edward L. and Anne Scholze Fohl.

After graduating from Avalon High School in 1947, Mr. Fohl was employed in the offices of Harbison-Walker Refractories. He entered the Army in 1951.

After his discharge from the military in 1954, Mr. Fohl received his college degree by attending evening classes at the University of Pittsburgh, while employed in various marketing positions by PPG Industries Inc. and later by U.S. Steel Corp.

It was at a dance that he met Joann Magerl, a resident of West View, whom he married in 1954.

"My parents, who were staunch Republicans, were pleased that I married a man who was not only a dedicated Republican, but a man who was a patriot who loved this country," said Mrs. Fohl.

"Bob could get emotional when a patriotic song was played and the American flag was displayed. We were also a team when it came to Republican causes," his wife added.

In 1967, Mr. Fohl took a leave of absence from U.S. Steel to serve as a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.

And upon his retirement from U.S. Steel in 1983, Mr. Fohl was a member of the Workers' Compensation Appeal Board and then a member of the Liquor Control Board.

In addition to his wife, Joann, Mr. Fohl is survived by his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Jack and Lois Kort of Gibsonia, and Robert and Teresa Magerl of Spokane, Wash.

Mr. Fohl was preceded in death by a sister, Margery Fohl.

Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. today in T.B. Devlin Funeral Home, 806 Perry Highway, Ross.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in St. Sebastian Church, 311 Siebert Road, Ross.