Robert J. Gilbert CFSP, CPC, CMFP
Funeral Director / Owner
Born Robert Chesney in Detroit, Michigan and having both parents deceased before the age of 7, Bob was adopted within his family and moved to Alpena. Returning to the metro area at the age of 10, Bob was once again adopted within his family, changed his surname to Gilbert and resided in Dearborn Heights. Before graduating from Riverside High School, Bob began his career in the funeral industry at the age of 15 working for McFarland Foss Funeral Home in Dearborn. Continuing along this career path, Bob enlisted in the US Army in 1983 with a classification of Graves Registration Specialist assigned to the 16th Field Service Company in Fort Lee, VA.
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Upon return from enlistment, Bob was employed at Howe Peterson Funeral Home in Dearborn when he met his future wife, Frann. Married in 1988, Bob and Frann were blessed with 2 daughters, Ally and Shelby and had resided in Garden City for nearly 29 years. They recently relocated to Waltz (New Boston) in 2021 to reside near the areas they serve. Bob coached both daughters in Slow Pitch Softball for GCYAA for 12 years.
Taking a career detour, Bob left the funeral industry in 1989 to work for the U.S. Postal Service during which time he attended Wayne State University and received a Bachelor of Mortuary Science Degree and was the recipient of the distinguished Walter D. Poole Student Achievement Award. Upon graduation, Bob became a Funeral Director and Manager for Uht Funeral Home in Westland for 16 years, eventually, joining the staff at Stark Funeral Service in Ypsilanti, then Neely-Turowski/Thayer-Rock Funeral Homes, Livonia and Farmington as General Manager.
At last, in 2019, an opportunity of a lifetime came along when Bob became owner of Bobcean Funeral Homes in Flat Rock and Carleton. Bob's intent as owner and operator of Bobcean Funeral Homes is to bring his vast knowledge, education and decades of experience, along with compassion and professionalism to the families in the communities he serves.
Aside from his devotion of Funeral Directing, Bob enjoys spending his free time with Frann and their family at their retreat in the woods affectionately named “The Hamptons”, where he enjoys hunting deer, bonfires, meandering around the lake and taking their granddaughters Rylee and Piper on “Papa's tractor rides”.
Professional/Volunteer/Organizations: Earned designations of CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Professional), CPC (Certified Preplanning Consultant), and CMFP (Certified Michigan Funeral Practitioner), Ambassador and Lifetime CFSP Member, Section Chief for the DPMU (Disaster Portable Morgue Unit) of the MIMORT (Michigan Mortuary Response Team), Flat Rock Elks, Flat Rock American Legion Post 337, NFDA (National Funeral Directors' Association), MFDA (Michigan Funeral Directors' Association) currently District 1 President and served as District 2 President (twice), former member of Livonia Elks, Westland Moose, Wayne Rotary (past President), Friends of Eloise (past President) and Wayne 100 Club.
Bob has organized and ran charity Euchre Tournaments for many years, raising tens of thousands of dollars for the needy, most notably the World's Largest Euchre Tournament in 2010 with nearly 600 players in attendance.



