Obituary of Robert D. Popadiuk

Robert “Bob” D. Popadiuk, 85, of Marlboro, passed away on Monday, January 9^th, 2023, at Raritan Bay Medical Center. Robert was born and raised in Yonkers, New York, before settling in Marlboro over 50 years ago. He graduated from New York University and worked at MetLife for 38 years. Robert enjoyed his music collection, watching baseball and old movies, and spending time with his four grandchildren.

Robert is predeceased by his wife Joan and his sister Lorraine. He is survived by his sons Kenneth and his wife Kris, Douglas and his wife Maria, and Brian; and grandchildren Jack, Abigail, Phoebe and Philip.                       

Friends and family are invited to visit on Thursday, January 12^th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at Freeman Manalapan Marlboro Funeral Home, 344 Route 9 North, Manalapan. A funeral liturgy will be held at St. Gabriel's Historic Church on Friday, January 13^th at 11:00am. Interment will follow at St. Gabriel's Cemetery and Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to either St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org or the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.

"My brothers and I wanted to share a few thoughts on our Dad and the tremendous influence he had on our lives.  

Bob was born and raised in Yonkers, NY, graduated with honors from New York University, and then did a short-stint in the U.S. Army National Guard. He was a qualified sharpshooter until he permanently injured his right hand in an accident. After leaving the army, he made a decision which would change the trajectory of his entire life. He accepted an analyst job at MetLife in NY City. Not only did he continue his career at MetLife for close to 4 decades, he also met our Mom working at MetLife. After marrying Joan they moved from NY City to Marlboro where he remained for 50 years. 

Some important context in understanding our father is that during his youth, his own father was not around much due to the circumstances and high demands of work. And I think this experience fostered a key value and priority in our Dad’s life to be present for his children. And present he was; his family and children were most important to him: watching his sons at soccer or baseball games, the togetherness of family beach vacations, taking in a simple Rangers or Mets game, building us an elaborate train sets as Christmas gifts and then years later putting the same effort in for his grandchildren's gifts, keeping a watchful eye on us in our teenage years, and helping us navigate countless key decisions in our own lives.  

Dad was always there to provide us with the right balance of structure, humor, inspiration, levity and priceless advice. And no matter what, he was always there for us. 

Our father was passionate about music and had a large vinyl album collection he enjoyed playing loudly particularly big band music, marches, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lawrence Welk. He was a fan of classic old movies (e.g., Sound of Music) and more recent romantic comedies. He was not a huge sports fan but he enjoyed following baseball and had an unusually passionate interest in rooting against all NY teams. In his younger days he enjoyed filmmaking as a hobby and Dad was very patriotic and expressive in his love of country. 

Dad was especially grateful for his role as Grandpa and loved every second he spent with his four grandchildren. They were always close to the center of his heart and at the forefront of his mind despite the increasing health challenges he began to face. 

Dad saw the bright side and the good in all people and situations. I do not recall him having a bad thing to say about anyone and was not one to complain or make excuses. He was a humble and private person and never did things for acknowledgement nor the spotlight. 

Thank you Dad for the home that you and Mom created for us. For making each of us always feel special and loved, for your quiet dignity, for all the sacrifices that you made for each of us, for inspiring us to be better people, and for always being there. 

May you find comfort and peace now that you are reunited with our Mom, and your parents, Dimitro and Mary, and your sister, Lorraine.

You will always be with us as your influence and imprint on us is everlasting. We will cherish the memories, and your legacy will live on in us as we try to live our lives with the same kindness, selflessness, and dedication to service that you did.

We are proud to have you as a Dad and we can’t imagine having a better one. Rest in peace, Dad. We love you."