From an early age, Robert J. Hadden understood the value of helping others.

“I think he felt a responsibility to be a helper in life,” said his daughter Laura Hadden of Paoli, Chester County. “I think it was always his natural instinct to want to help people.”

After serving nearly 40 years as a manager and engineer at Westinghouse Electric Corp., Mr. Hadden embarked on a 30-year-long second career as a volunteer and ombudsman in Washington County.

Mr. Hadden, 91, of Peters died Sunday after a series of recent health setbacks.

Not content to be just a longtime board member and president at Meals on Wheels @ The Crossroads, Mr. Hadden was one of those rare individuals who dove into client relations and physical labor with just as much gusto, said director Susan Hanawalt.

“It’s kind of a basic thing to bring someone food, but it can also be very satisfying,” she said. “He got a great deal of enjoyment out of it. He loved to go driving and deliver food and help people if they had a problem. He loved to do things like that.”

The business acumen Mr. Hadden culled after a long career working throughout the world also came in handy for the organization, which has had to relocate several times while delivering more than 35,000 hot meals each year to seniors in Northeastern Washington County.

“It’s a perfect match when someone has that dedication and they can also help with major decisions,” Ms. Hanawalt said. “It was hard to lose him. We did love him.”

Growing up during the Great Depression in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Mr. Hadden learned early on how to pool resources to make ends meet, his daughter said.

“Every night, he dropped his grandmother off at a home for children, where she worked the overnight shift as a nurse. And, he had to get up every morning at 5:30 to pick her up,” Ms. Hadden said.

A talented ball player, Mr. Hadden was offered a contract to play for Class AAA minor league baseball in North Dakota, but he instead decided to pursue an education.

“He used to say, ‘My heart was in baseball, but [going to college] was the right decision,’” his daughter said. “He was kind of a go-getter. In college, he was in the marching band and he played in two dance bands to make money on weekends. His father would send him money to come home on the train, but he would hitchhike to save money.”

Mr. Hadden played the saxophone in the University of Michigan band and performed in the 1951 Rose Bowl.

After he joined a fraternity, he adopted Mike the bulldog — the group’s mascot — who accompanied him everywhere, including on his hitchhiking adventures.

He was a dedicated student, but Mr. Hadden wasn’t above a little mischief, too, his daughter said.

“He and his pals decided to play a prank on a guy they didn’t like,” she said. “After he went away for a long weekend, my dad and his engineering friends took his Stutz Bearcat car apart and carried it up three stories. He came back from his weekend to discover his car up on blocks in his room, running. They got a lot of engineering practice.”

June of 1951 was a busy month for Mr. Hadden, during which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, married his hometown sweetheart Elizabeth Furlong, and moved with her to Palmdale, Calif., where he accepted a job at Westinghouse.

Elizabeth Hadden died in 1986, and Mr. Hadden married Kathleen Echon in 1988.

In California, Mr. Hadden worked developing electrical systems for military aircraft with test pilots, including Chuck Yeager.

He had harrowing experiences at times, including once when a plane lost power and the pilot was forced to land in a pasture.

“The pilot said, ‘Well, do you want to jump now or do you want to see if you can make it with me for the landing?’” his daughter said. “They had to do a dead-stick landing and clipped a fence.”

During his long career, Mr. Hadden moved 14 times with his growing family, working in various roles for Westinghouse, including as manager of field operations for the company’s transportation division. He traveled throughout the world installing people movers, such as the one that connects terminals in the Pittsburgh International Airport.

In 1963, Mr. Hadden completed the executive MBA program at Harvard Business School, and by 1966 he was project manager for a Job Corps center operated by Westinghouse in Camp Atterbury, Ind.

He was permanently assigned to the company’s Pittsburgh headquarters in 1976 and retired 13 years later.

Shortly afterward, Mr. Hadden began his volunteering career at Meals on Wheels, where he was named an emeritus board member.

He also served with Special Olympics of Allegheny County, and at a local retirement home, where he volunteered as a state-certified ombudsman, helping to resolve disputes and advocating for residents.

“He thought he had so much that he owed that much and more to the community,” his daughter said. “He was trying to give back.”

A Steelers season-ticket owner since 1968 — he even witnessed the December 1972 “Immaculate Reception” — Mr. Hadden often arranged social outings and game-day parties for residents and led trips to local baseball games.

A passionate golfer since his childhood, Mr. Hadden could often be found on the local links with a tight-knit group of buddies when he wasn’t volunteering.

“Even as a kid, there was nothing that made him happier than being outside in the sunshine and a good golfing round,” his daughter said.

When her father lost his sight recently due to macular degeneration, he was forced to stop most of his volunteering duties, Ms. Hadden said.

But Mr. Hadden didn’t let his limitations keep him from enjoying the sunshine with his friends.

“Even after losing his mobility and his sight, the same group of guys would bring him on the course with them,” she said. “He would chip if he could, and when he couldn’t anymore, he would tell them stories and they would take him to lunch.”

Along with his wife and daughter, Mr. Hadden is survived by his children Steve of Kiawah Island, S.C., Marcie Hadden of Fairview, Tenn., and Kate White of Brentwood; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his sister Marla Hadden Caul.

Services were Thursday, and a celebration of life is being planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to Meals on Wheels @ The Crossroads, 3909 Washington Rd. Suite 201, McMurray, PA 15317 or The Special Olympics of Allegheny County, 404 First Street, Heidelberg, PA 15106.

Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com.

First Published: June 19, 2020, 12:31 a.m.