Robert Lawrence Appel, 88, of Falls Church, Va., passed away Sept. 15, 2025, after an extended illness. He was born in Carrollton, Ohio, in 1937; graduated salutatorian in his senior year, and was named recipient of the DeFord Scholarship for the class of 1955 from Carrollton High School. He continued his education at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he majored in history and journalism.

Robert started his career locally in the early 1960s at the Scio Herald newspaper, then moved on to the Mansfield News-Journal as a journalist and reporter. In the late 1960s, he accepted a position with the Central Intelligence Agency of McLean, Va., as an analyst and moved to Arlington, Va. He worked for the CIA for years, then joined Science Applications International Corporation of Reston, Va., as a computer software engineer/coder before retiring.

While living in Arlington, he met and married the love of his life, Leyda Patino of Bogotá, Colombia, in 1971. Robert was a social, gregarious person who enjoyed playing and following professional tennis. It was on a tennis court that he first met Leyda. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

Robert was a lifelong scholar and an avid reader, always staying well-informed about current events and world affairs. He also cherished time with family and friends, often reminiscing about his younger years and fondly recalling family gatherings at a campsite along the banks of the Little Wheeling Creek in West Virginia, where relatives gathered for games of horseshoes, water tubing and good conversation.

Along with his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Valerie; grandchildren, Emma and Max; a sister, Kathryn Tutor; a brother, Glenn (La Vonne), and their children, Shari, Julie and Bradley; and a sister-in-law, Rita; niece, Sondra (Marc) Orinson, and children, Hilary and Alex; and niece, Nikki, and children, Jacob, Benjamin, Eli, Fisher and Caydee. Besides his parents, Rudolph and Mildred, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Edward and James, and a nephew, Jeffrey.

Robert wished to be cremated with a small private service.