Robert Geffel was born to John Geffel Sr. and Theresa (Logidice) Geffel who had come to Oak Ridge in 1943. He was one of two sons. His brother John was the eldest. They both graduated from Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania building their father had helped build. He later became a manager and drummer of a popular East Coast dance band. When WWII broke out, he enlisted in the army and was commissioned First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry and was deployed to Italy before going to Oak Ridge in 1945 where he would be employed by Union Carbide. That same year he would marry Edna Shea on the 18th of August.