Robert L. Stull

Robert Louis “Bob” Stull of Ithaca, New York, passed away on August 13, 2025 at the age of 94. Born in Sherman, Illinois on July 26, 1931 to parents Fred Allen Stull and Mary Ellen McCue Stull, Bob was the second of five children: Richard Francis McCue (deceased), John Frederick “Freddie” Stull, Freida Stull Green, and Thomas Stull. Bob graduated from Williamsville, IL, high school in 1949. He enlisted in the Army in 1951 (Korean War) and was based in Japan working as a chemistry lab technician until his honorable discharge in 1954. Upon his return Bob earned the Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he met Carol Jean Gansz in one of his chemistry classes. The two married in Evanston, Illinois, on June 22, 1958. Bob continued his education at Baylor University in Texas, where he received a Master of Science degree, and at the University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Buffalo. He was a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the New York Academy of Science.

Bob and Carol had three sons: Charles Allen, Steven Dale, and Scott David. In 1965, the family moved to Snyder, New York, where he worked as a clinical chemist at Deaconess Hospital from 1965 to 1979 and at Buffalo General Hospital from 1979 to1983. He served as an assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts and the family were members of Christ United Methodist Church.

In 1984, Bob took a position as the director of the chemistry lab at Tompkins County Hospital (now Cayuga Medical Center). In 1985, he and Carol founded CRS Growers in Lansing, New York, on their farm overlooking Cayuga Lake. CRS was one of the first certified organic vegetable farms in New York State, and the first in Tompkins County. He and Carol were founding members of the Finger Lakes Organic Growers Cooperative (FLO), a marketing co-op which served to connect farmers with their customers, and they were 30-year members of Ithaca Farmers Market, where Bob served on the Agriculture Committee. He also sold at the yearly Cooperative Extension plant sale.

In addition to organic vegetables and flowers, Bob cultivated the arts, providing space and support for Triphammer Arts Inc. at the CRS Barn Studio for a variety of dance and music concerts. He was also active at the First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, where he served as a deacon and a member of the building and grounds committee.

Bob Stull was pre-deceased by his wife, Carol Jean Gansz Stull, in 2003. One of his last statements to her was, “I’ll see you in twenty years.”

Bob is survived by Charles Allen Stull, Susan Pozo, Maria Pozo Stull, and Ricardo Woodbury, Heather Woodbury, Isabella, and Luca; Steven Dale Stull and Jeanne Goddard; and Scott David Stull, Laurie Hemmings, and Emma Carol Stull. Bob is also survived by John Frederick “Freddie” Stull and wife Barbara; Freida Stull Green; Thomas Stull; and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.

A celebration of life is planned for October 18, 2025 at 5 pm at the CRS Barn Studio. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bob’s name to the First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, The Friends of the Ithaca Farmer’s Market, or Triphammer Arts Inc.