Obituary of Robert A. Pessolano

Robert Alan “Bobby” Pessolano entered into eternal life on Thursday evening November 12, 2020 at his home in Rossmoor, Monroe Township surrounded by his family. He was 85 years of age.  

Bob was a proud New Yorker. Born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, his endless stories of he and his brothers growing up in the neighborhood would captivate his listeners for hours on end. Not the least of which is the story of when he met his wife Anita LoPinto at a dance at the Church of All Nations when he was 16 years old. In 1957, Bob married Anita in St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral followed by a “football wedding” reception. Together they raised their family on Pearl Street and Murray Place in Stapleton Heights, Staten Island where they lived for 38 years before moving to Monroe Township, New Jersey in 1996. In the winter months, Bob and Anita resided in Deltona, Florida among their second community.

Bob attended Seward Park High School in Manhattan. As a teenager Bob held several odd jobs which allowed him to help contribute to his widowed mother’s household. One of his first jobs was assembling clocks for United Clock Corps in 1949 on First Street, NYC for 10 cents each. Some of Bob’s fondest childhood memories were from the eight years he spent at Life Camp, a camp where select New York City children were chosen to spend time in nature as a reprieve from life in the city. During those summers and winters at Life Camp, Bob developed his passion for building and making things that would eventually lead him to his trade as a carpenter.

In 1953 Bob became a member of the New York City District Council of Carpenters #2710. His work with the carpenter’s union gave Bob the opportunity to work in New York City’s iconic skyscrapers and elsewhere throughout the five boroughs. For 23 years, he was the General Manager of N.Y. Flame-proofing in Manhattan until his retirement in 1992.

Bob was deeply involved in his community, having been president of the Stapleton Civic Association and the Stapleton Athletic Club, as well as holding his position as a board member of the Mud Lane Society.  He was appointed to Community Board 1 by former borough president Tony Gaeta. After retirement, Bob continued his creative outlet through his work as the set designer and builder for the Rossmoor Players Theatrical Group. 

An avid collector of stamps, postcards, political buttons and WWII memorabilia, Bob’s home was filled with thoughtful and meticulously crafted scrapbooks. He thoroughly enjoyed gardening and his annual display of summer plants and flowers were famous in Rossmoor and often featured in the Rossmoor News. Bob’s favorite pastime, however, was sharing stories with his grandchildren about New York City. His love for New York City was evident to anyone who spoke with him. Its history was brought to life when he shared an anecdote about every block, restaurant, building, or lamp post and most often they were, in some way, personally connected to him. “Let me tell you, I remember...” and “...I’ll never forget that” were staples in a Grandpa Bob memory. For his 80th birthday Bob and his family celebrated with a dinner cruise around Manhattan followed by a tour of the Lower East Side. Bob took pride in walking around his old stomping grounds and sitting on his old stoop with his family. 

He was pre-deceased by his wife, Anita (LoPinto) Pessolano, four brothers, Anthony 'Sonny', Joseph 'Mickey', John, and Francis 'Boops.'

He is survived by two children, Joseph Pessolano and his wife Diane of Stow, MA, and Teresa Muldowney and her husband Kenneth of Birmingham, AL, six grandchildren, Marc Pessolano and his wife Stephanie, Michelle Casey and her husband Michael, Craig Pessolano, Robert Pessolano and his wife Adelle, Kimberly Muldowney, and Nicole Muldowney, three great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Adeline, and Augustine, and many other extended family members.  He will be dearly missed by his good friend, Mary Burk.

For many years Bob was on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the American Parkinson Disease Association.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the APDA, one of his favorite charities.

Visitation will be from 9:30am to 11:00am on Monday, November 23, 2020 at the M. David DeMarco Funeral Home 205 Rhode Hall Rd. Monroe Twp., NJ 08831. A funeral liturgy will be 11:30am at St. James the Less RC Church, 36 Lincoln Ave. Jamesburg, NJ 08831. A private cremation will follow the funeral liturgy.

For those who are unable to attend the mass on Monday, November 23, 2020, St. James the Less RC Church will be live streaming it through their website, www.stjamesthelesschurch.org.