The only person who could do this story justice would be Bob Shryock himself.

But the Gloucester County newsman, whose career spanned seven decades, died at home Saturday morning, after battling Parkinson’s disease for the past 20 years, according to his wife, Kathy. He was 81.

Anyone who had faithfully followed the work of former South Jersey Times columnist Bob Shryock — who penned his last story for the paper in 2017 — pretty much knows his life story.

Bob had taken us along for the journey, sharing stories about growing up in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, attending Gettysburg College, journeying to New York to pursue his career as a sports writer, and, thankfully, coming to Gloucester County, New Jersey.

During his years as a columnist, he has shared the high-points and low-points of his own life with a self-deprecating style. He shared the stories of noteworthy local residents who achieved greatness, as well as regular people just trying to make a difference in their communities.

Most importantly, Bob had used his writing to promote local causes that help improve lives and bring people together.

He got his first experiences as a journalist at the age of 11, writing a golf column for his father’s newspaper, The Record Herald, in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Waynesboro High School in 1956. “He was very proud of their motto ‘tough as nails hard as bricks,’” his wife Kathy said.

After college, his professional sportswriting career took him to Binghamton, New York, before he found his way to the Woodbury Daily Times in 1964. Over the years, the Daily Times became the Gloucester County Times, then the South Jersey Times.

He served as sports editor until 1968, when he assumed the role of Times managing editor.

From there, he worked at the Courier-Post in Camden from 1972 until 1980, when he returned to the Times as a columnist. He was also a sportscaster for Comcast, and a fixture at the Pitman golf course.

His sense of humor was summed up in the title of the book he published in 2014 compiling 180 of his favorite columns. "It's Shryock -- Not Shyrock," references his lifelong struggle with that misunderstanding. In fact, a Times story about the book included the error.

One of the biggest and most successful of the causes Shryock has backed is Gloucester County Dancing with the Stars, emceed by Dan Baker. Co-founding the Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey, which has provided scholarships for young athletes for the last 50 years, was also one of Shryock’s proudest accomplishments, he previously said.

In his column, Bob confronted the subject of his illness with honesty and his trademark sense of humor.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2000 and credited his wife, Kathy, as "my lifeline and my rock."

In a 2014 column, he wrote about her role as caregiver to a husband whose condition wasn't going to improve.

"If you want to know the truth, she's the one who keeps me going," he wrote. "She's the one who makes sure I don't feel sorry for myself."

Sadly, he leaves behind his wife Kathy Shryock, sons Rob Shryock (Elina), Dan Shryock (Shelly), Eric Cargill (Jillian), Dan Cargill (Megan), Michael Cargill (Amanda) and 10 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and very dear friend Jim Clark.

Due to the current environment, a memorial service will be held at a later date. At Bob’s request, expressions of sympathy can be made to The New Jersey Hearing Foundation njhearingfoundation.org in honor of his granddaughter Erin who is deaf and is involved in the foundation that offers support to other children and families with hearing loss in New Jersey.