Robert S. McGarry, 82, a retired Army brigadier general, general manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, and Montgomery County transportation director, died of emphysema March 16 at his home on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Gen. McGarry retired from the Army in 1977 as deputy commanding general of the Army’s Computer Systems Command at Fort Belvoir. During his military career he was commander of a combat engineer company during the Korean War.

He also had assignments in Germany and was posted twice to Vietnam during the war there. He served in the Army Corps of Engineers.

After retiring from the Army, he was named general manager of the WSSC, the water and sewer agency for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. He negotiated a regional water supply agreement for all users of Potomac River water aimed at ensuring adequate water for all during droughts.

From 1984 to 1990, he was Montgomery County’s transportation director. Until 1999, he was a Washington-based consultant to the World Bank, specializing in Russia and Yemen.