If you spent any time with Robert “Bobby” Muckelston Jr., you probably ended up laughing — or being pranked.
His greatest hits started long before adulthood, back when he was in the Scouts. He grew up to become an Eagle Scout, working as a camp counselor at Camp Hart and Camp Garrison. Whenever a group of mischievous campers pushed the limits, Bobby had a signature punishment.
He’d quietly remove their mattresses, arrange rocks underneath a blanket so the bed looked perfectly normal, and then wait for the moment the kids tried to settle in and realized they were lying on something hard as concrete.
“He loved it,” his sister Jennifer said, remembering how her brother pranked his way through adolescence and much of his adult life. “That was so him.”
Even after he was killed on June 28, 2020 at 38 years old, Bobby’s family swears he wasn’t quite finished with the jokes. During remote schooling early in the pandemic, Jennifer’s teen son, Dustin Kang, was working quietly when the pack of gum sitting next to him flew across the room. Dustin immediately called out, “Mom, can you tell your brother to knock it off?”
Bobby was born and raised in Port Richmond, the oldest child of Jane and Robert Sr., and big brother to Jennifer and Jason. In a small two-bedroom rowhome with one bathroom and three kids, chaos was guaranteed. Bobby eventually went to live in the basement for a little privacy.
He went to Bridesburg Elementary, AMY 5 at James Martin for middle school, and Parkway Center City High School, where he graduated. He constantly had his classmates laughing. Like the many times he shared his obsession with Britney Spears. For one Halloween, he dressed up as her, only to come in second to another Britney.
Even back then, he stood out not just for his humor but for the way he looked out for others — especially his younger siblings and cousins. One cousin, Sarah Schnur, still talks about how Bobby always included her in everything when they were kids, whether street hockey games on the block or hanging out with his friends. When his friends learned she once lived in Texas, they’d break into a goofy rendition of “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas!” every time they saw her.
Bobby Muck had a gift for turning acquaintances into lifelong friends. One of them, Paul Poz, remembered the hours they spent as kids playing sports, talking about going to Canada to play junior hockey, and being “goofy teenagers.” When Paul lost his temper, Bobby had an unexpected way of diffusing the moment — by calmly singing him N Sync songs until the anger dissolved into laughter.
Bobby was a diehard Philly sports fan, with tattoos for the Eagles and Phillies, he especially loved the Phils. He adored Chase Utley so much he named his son Chase Robert Muckelston in honor of him.
His uncle Bill Kline remembered taking him to the 1993 NLCS clinching game when Bobby was a kid — a memory Bobby cherished for the rest of his life. After the final out, they grabbed the championship shirts, and before Bill could see the price tag, it was too late.
“People can go on about any negatives they want, but the only thing that matters to me is how he was to me and my family,” Paul said.
“He already had it on, jumping up and down, hollering with the crowd,” Bill said. “Such a great night, and one of many great memories I had with him. I still have that shirt.
As an adult, Bobby worked almost exclusively as a waiter, which fit his amiable personality perfectly. His all-time favorite job was waiting tables at the old SugarHouse Casino, and he said he was about to start at Applebee’s right before he died.
Life wasn’t always easy. Bobby struggled with addiction for several years and spent time living on the street. But people remembered the way he never stopped trying, even checking into rehab on his own. In the days before his death, he had told Jennifer he was sober and wanted to get his life back on track, even talking with her about Fourth of July plans and picking out a birthday present for Chase.
Fatherhood had changed him deeply. He “lived and breathed for that boy,” Jennifer said. “Chase was his world.”
Anyone with information about an unsolved homicide is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or submit an anonymous tip at phillypolice.com/forms/submit-a-tip. All tips are confidential.
This story will be republished each year around the anniversary of Bobby’s death as part of the Philly Obit Project’s ongoing effort to keep victims’ memories alive and support their families in their search for answers.
