Robert ‘Bob’ Hargreaves

1948-2026

Robert “Bob” Hargreaves, a man whose love of horsepower, chrome, and the open road defined a life lived with passion, passed away peacefully on May 3, 2026, in Youngstown, Ohio. He was 78 years old. Born on Feb. 8, 1948, in East Liverpool, Ohio, Bob grew up to become one of the region’s most devoted collectors of classic American muscle — a man who believed that a finely tuned engine was its own kind of poetry.

At the heart of Bob’s life was an unrelenting devotion to classic, fast automobiles — and above all else, the Ford Mustang. Over the decades, Bob carefully and lovingly curated an impressive collection of these iconic machines, each one selected with the practiced eye of a true connoisseur. For Bob, a Mustang was never just a car. It was a statement — raw American engineering expressed in steel and speed.

His passion was fed by years spent as a skilled mechanic, both through his work at Hill International and through his own self-employed shop. Bob possessed an intimate knowledge of how these machines breathed and ran — he didn’t just own classic cars, he understood them from the inside out. His hands knew the feel of every engine component, and he took enormous pride in keeping his collection in peak mechanical condition.

Bob was a familiar and celebrated face at car shows throughout the region, where he delighted in displaying his prized vehicles and connecting with fellow enthusiasts. Those gatherings were among his happiest times — afternoons spent walking the rows of gleaming hoods, swapping stories about restoration projects, debating the merits of different model years, and watching the faces of younger visitors light up as they discovered, through Bob’s easy enthusiasm, why these cars matter.

When he wasn’t under a hood or polishing a quarter panel, Bob found equal joy in hunting and tending his garden, finding a quieter kind of satisfaction in the natural world. Golf was a lifelong companion pastime that traced back to his earliest years working as a caddy, and he returned to the fairways throughout his life with the same disciplined care he gave his cars.

Bob served his country as a U.S. Marine, a chapter he carried with characteristic quiet dignity, rarely speaking of his service but embodying its values of discipline and commitment in everything he did. Those same qualities made him the collector he was — meticulous, dedicated, and never willing to do a job halfway.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Dolores (Smith) Hargreaves; sister, Margaret Hargreaves; and his brother, Victor “Skip” Hargreaves Jr. He is survived by his loving son, Ryan Hargreaves, and daughter-in-law, Katsiaryna; his cherished daughter, Renee Myers, and son-in-law, Steven; and his brother, Mike Hargreaves, along with Mike’s wife, Vicky. Bob will be fondly remembered by his grandchildren, Dominic and Devyn Hargreaves, and Mystia, Alliandra, and Cassiel Myers — five young people who no doubt heard more than a few stories about the cars that shaped their grandfather’s remarkable life.

Family and friends will gather to honor Bob’s life on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at the Martin Chapel of Care Funeral and Cremation Specialists, with visitation hours from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Services will continue on Friday, May 8, 2026, with visitation from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by a service officiated by Life Celebrant Fawn Householder at noon. A graveside service will take place at Calcutta United Presbyterian Cemetery.

Bob Hargreaves will be deeply missed. His legacy — in the roar of a well-tuned Mustang engine, in the hands of a gifted mechanic, and in the lives of those he loved — will endure long after the last show is done.

5/6/26