Robert W. DeMelia, known to his loved ones as Bob, passed away peacefully May 9, 2023, at the age of 87, in Shrewsbury.
Bob was born Jan. 23, 1936. He is survived by Thomas Carroll, Carol Veizer, Patricia Izzo and Kyra Becker, his long-time friends who became family. He was preceded in death by his mother Mildred DeMelia, his father Charles DeMelia, his grandfather Angelo DeMelia and his grandmother Mildred DeMelia.
Bob was a kind, generous, humble, caring, loyal and discerning person. He had a quick wit and a great sense of humor. He had a humanitarian spirit and was known for a boundless depth of gratitude and appreciation. Bob served a tour of duty in the United States Army from 1961-1963 for which he received the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Military Service. After his military service, he continued to work for the Army as a civilian acquisition attorney for the Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) until he retired from government service in 1995. He was a talented attorney who had an exemplary career with CECOM, supporting numerous major acquisitions and mentoring many aspiring young attorneys.
Bob earned a B.S. from Fordham University and a Juris Doctor from St. John’s Law School. He enjoyed spending quality time with his friends and loved the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was loved by many, forgotten by few, and an outstanding human being.
A ceremony to celebrate Bob’s life will be announced at a later date. For those who wish to make a memorial donation to a charitable organization in honor of Bob, contributions may be made to The Parker Homestead – 1665 in Little Silver at parkerhomestead-1665.org orand NJ Center for the Healing Arts in Red Bank at njcha.org.
Memories and condolences may be shared at johnedayfuneralhome.com.
The article originally appeared in the May 25 – 31, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
