Robert Lloyd Wilbanks

Mr. Robert Lloyd Wilbanks, 54, of New Orleans passed away Monday, January 24, 2022.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack Wilbanks Jr. and Willena Fauscette Wilbanks; his maternal grandparents Chester Fauscette Sr. and Mamie Lingerfelt Fauscette; and his paternal grandparents, Darrell Haley and Louise Wilbanks Haley, and Jack Wilbanks Sr.

He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Hugh McArthur of Tallahassee, FL; nephews, Nathaniel (Jessica) Amos of Fort Myers, FL. and Ben (Kellie) Amos of Kennesaw, GA; aunts, Charlotte Griggs and Polly Lewallen of Dalton; and cousin, Michael Fauscette.

Robert attended Dalton High School, where he acted in DHS theatre, sang in Top Cats, and played trombone in the Catamount Marching Band (he would insist the reader know that this instrument was previously known as the “Sackbut” in English until the mid-18 ^th century). Friends he made at Dalton High School still love him as family today. In 1985, Robert continued his education at Florida State University, and later graduated from Georgia State University.

Robert’s career in information technology and communications propelled him across the country and around the globe. His writing, his wit, and his innate sense for human connection took him from Arthur Andersen to Paragon Trade Brands; from The National Policy & Advocacy Council on Homelessness to the World Trade Center New Orleans.

It was in New Orleans that Robert felt most at home. He embraced the Crescent City’s unique mixture of history, language, music, and heritage (just not the New Orleans Saints). He bonded with friends over drinks at Pal’s Lounge, cheered for his beloved Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, and Arsenal FC. NOLA allowed Robert to “live in the present” (which also aptly described his comfort with verb tenses while speaking Spanish). He loved its people; he cared about its people; and its people loved him back.

Robert was passionate about uplifting the needy without judgment. Consequently, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to a charity of the reader’s choice, that Robert’s memory may continue to touch lives, just as he touched those of his family and friends. We will love him and miss him forever.