Robert L. Magee

Robert L. Magee passed away peacefully on April 24, 2026. He was 92 years old.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dolores “Dorrie” Preston Magee, who passed on April 30, 2018. They were married in 1952 and shared 67 years together. He is survived by his children, Robert Vernon Magee, Shelley Magee Arizmendi, and David Preston Magee; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

He entered this world under difficult circumstances—born with a black eye and placed in an oven for warmth. After a day of school and work, he returned home at the age of 12 to an empty house and began figuring out life for himself. His strength and determination would shape the course of his life.

He worked early in life as a journeyman rigger for a heavy hauling and rigging company, including work painting smokestacks in Meadville, Pennsylvania. In 1954, he began employment at Hamot Hospital as an ambulance driver.

While working the overnight shift, he attended Edinboro State Teachers College as a full-time student, graduating in 1959 with a degree in Art Education. After teaching a year in Mansfield, PA, he moved to Hammondsport, New York, where he spent 30 years as Chairman of the Art Department at Hammondsport Central School. He also served as an adjunct professor at Corning Community College and Tompkins Cortland Community College, and earned a Master’s degree in Art from the University of Colorado.

He retired in 1990 and, with his wife, traveled extensively throughout the United States, camping in nearly every state, and later cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage. That same year, he led a group of students on a cultural exchange trip to Lvov, Ukraine, and Moscow as part of the Corning Sister Cities program.

In 2008, he was nominated by Congressman Randy Kuhl to design an ornament for the White House Christmas tree and attended a reception in Washington, D.C. He and Dorrie ate dinner with Laura Bush. His ornament resides in the George Bush Library & Museum and remains so in perpetuity.

Mr. Magee overcame many obstacles in life and learned to rely on his own strength, determination and resilience. He will be remembered for his dedication to education, his artistic talent, and his devotion to his family. He leaves this world being thankful for the love, experiences and friendships, bestowed on him during his lifetime.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Hammondsport American Legion.

The family would suggest in lieu of flowers that donations be made to: Hammondsport Alumni Association, in memory of Robert L. Magee, Attention: Brynn Voigt, Treasurer, 243 E. Main St., Penn Yan, NY. 14527.

Bishop & DeSanto Funeral Home, Hammondsport, is honored to assist Mr. Magee’s family with the arrangements.

Online condolences or remembrances are welcome below, or on the Facebook page of Bishop-Johnson & DeSanto Funeral Home.

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