Robert N. de Luca, age 82, a lifelong Lower Merion and Devon resident, died peacefully on May 9, 2023 after a recent illness. Bob personified the Renaissance Man. A graduate of Lower Merion High School, Haverford College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Bob had a brilliant career as an Assistant United States Attorney and United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and as a private civil and criminal defense attorney at the Dilworth Paxon and Saul Ewing law firms in Philadelphia. He was known for his superb preparation and spirited representation of many clients throughout his legal career. He exemplified the five "P" rule, which he shared with humor but true belief: "Proper planning prevents poor performance".

He also had a delightful private side, enhanced by his extensive reading of literature and historical non-fiction, encyclopedic memory of music, films, and little-known facts he had absorbed throughout his professional and personal life. You could always count on Bob to share an appropriate story, joke or witty bon mot at any gathering, as well as incisive observations on current events and human nature. His circle of friendship included fellow members of Philadelphia's First City Troop, Broadacres Fishing Club, Peppercorn Gun Club, and the Cohorts, as well as judges, lawyers, and friends and neighbors throughout the Main Line and greater Philadelphia region .

Bob's gift for intricate handiwork included surgically filleting a fresh trout, bluefish, or striped bass he had just caught; carving duck decoys and other avian species; fixing just about any mechanical or electrical device; car repair and baking his unforgettable Thanksgiving cranberry-apple pie. Bob especially enjoyed sharing with his children and other young people his knowledge of the world and how things worked , like his wry soliloquy on why the Thermos bottle is humanity's greatest invention.

Bob loved nature, particularly the flora and fauna in the waters and fields he traversed fishing and hunting in Pennsylvania, Maryland , Virginia , and Nantucket, which he visited annually for over fifty years. He was particularly drawn to the ocean waters off Nantucket whether on a beach or aboard a boat , casting for fish, watching the sunrise and sunsets, or just gazing out over the playing waves.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife , Elizabeth Swain de Luca; children Elizabeth de Luca (Wixted) and Robert F. de Luca; son- in -law John Patrick Wixted; grandson Henry Robert Wixted; sister Bonnie Wilkes (nee de Luca), and brother-in-law Kit Wilkes.

The family will announce plans for a memorial at a future time.

The family kindly requests no flowers.  Donations in honor and memory of Bob may be made to the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (118 Cliff Road, Nantucket, MA 02554) or the Willistown Conservation Trust in Chester County (925 Providence Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073) .