Robert Graham “Bob” Muggleston Sr., 78, of Ivoryton, died on July 6 at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven after a brief illness. Bob was born on June 15, 1945, in Middletown, to the late Harold and Mildred Muggleston. His older brother, Ronald Sr., who predeceased Bob, was born six years earlier.

Bob grew up in Deep River and, from an early age, gravitated to outdoor pursuits like fishing and trapping. After graduating from Valley Regional High School in Deep River in 1963, Bob went to the University of Connecticut (UConn) in Storrs, where he earned a B.S. in ornamental horticulture. While at UConn, in addition to his studies, Bob worked at the Department of Animal Science’s Creamery, which produced ice cream for the UConn Dairy Bar. With him at UConn was the love of his life, Patricia (Greene) Muggleston. They were high school sweethearts who married in 1966 and soon had two children, Robert Jr. (1966) and Laura (1967).

In the mid-’70s, he started Hilltop Nursery, a landscaping company. Hilltop Nursery and his family would become the focal point of his energies for the next 40 years. Though he never advertised or drove a truck with his company’s name on the side, clients flocked to him.

Stoic by nature and often difficult to read, even by those who knew him best, Bob was happiest while creating something. A sure sign he was in a good mood was that he was humming, and he hummed the same tune for 50 years without ever disclosing what it was. Work and family were what made him happiest. He dedicated his whole life to making sure his family got what they needed. Among the simple pleasures, Bob enjoyed was tooling around town in one of his Chevy pickups, obeying posted speed limits. In the later years of Bob’s life, he was nicknamed “The Mudge,” short for curmudgeon, by the families of three fraternity brothers with whom he had a special connection his whole life. He appreciated the nickname and never disputed it. He was especially leery of technology and never owned a smartphone or used a computer, and even avoided using the telephone. Why call when you could just drop by?

The Mudge could be difficult, even obstinate, but always at the core was someone who would give you the shirt off his back. And if you asked him to do something, be it a paid job or otherwise, you knew it would be done right. He was old school until the end and proud of it. He will be sorely missed.

A funeral service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at Deep River Congregational Church in Deep River, with a reception immediately following at the church. Following that will be a Celebration of Life at 5 p.m. at a location TBD. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Cliff Ward Foundation, 88 Plains Road, Essex, CT, which was created to give back to the local community or to the Ivoryton Library (ivorytonlibrary.org/support/).