John P. "Jake" Robert

Robert, Colonel John P. "Jake" REXFORD Colonel John P. "Jake" Robert, 89, of Coburg Village Way in Rexford and formerly of Cohoes, died April 21, 2017 at Glendale in Glenville after a short illness. Born in Cohoes, he was the son of the late Gilbert H. and Marie O'Day Robert. He was a graduate of the former St. Agnes School in Cohoes and Christian Brothers Academy in Albany and earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from Siena College in Loudonville. In 1945, Jake enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Germany during World War II with the military police. Later, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Reserve Officers Training Corps and he went on to serve in Korea during the Korean Conflict as an artillery officer. A graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, he was a commandant of the 1157th U.S. Army Reserves Training School in Schenectady and retired from the Army in 1978 as a full colonel. In addition to his military career, Jake was a real estate appraiser, realtor and insurance broker with G.H. Robert Associates, a Cohoes business founded by his father, and he later worked for the state Department of Equalization and Assessment as a senior real estate appraiser. He also served his hometown of Cohoes as the city's Urban Renewal director. An active member of the Democratic party for many years, Jake served one term as Fourth Ward alderman in Cohoes and was campaign manager in 1975 for Ron Canestrari's first successful run as Cohoes mayor. Jake was a parishioner of the former St. Agnes Church in Cohoes, where he served as lector, usher and president of the parish council. When he moved to Rexford, he joined the parish of St. Edward the Confessor. He also was a long-time member of Rotary International and the Cohoes Rotary Club, where he served as president, and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. In his free time, Jake enjoyed reading, solving crossword puzzles and Sudoku, building model airplanes, painting, enjoying his various dogs and cats and going to lunch each week with his Thursday lunch bunch. The man loved gadgets and firmly believed the one with the most toys in the end wins. Whether it was an iPhone or an iPad, any kind of Kindle or tablet, he had to have it - whether he knew how to use it or not much to the chagrin of his children and grandchildren who had to explain the intricacies of the various devices. One of the highlights of his retirement years was taking an Honor Flight along with other WWII veterans to the see the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. In 1953, Jake married the former Nancy Whalen of Cohoes, who died in 1997 just after they celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary. The couple had five children. In 1998, he married the former Sandra Ring, who died in 2011. Survivors include his children, Lisa Robert Lewis (Jimmy), Dr. John P. Robert (Wilma), Amy R. Jupin (Andy) and Michael D. Robert (Lisa); his grandchildren, Melissa Coons (Mike) and Christie Harris (Mark), Katie Contreras and John Patrick Robert, Kelly Kociuba (Alex), Andrew Jupin (Chelsea), Jared Jupin and Meighan Jupin, and Elizabeth Robert and Sean Robert; several great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews, including his goddaughter, Marie Roche Bates, and his cat, Angel. In addition to his parents and his wives, he was predeceased by his siblings, Gilbert O. Robert and Dolores R. Roche, and his son, David W. Robert, who died in December 2016. Calling hours will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, April 24, at Stanton-Farrell Funeral Home, 326 Columbia St., Cohoes, with the Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 25, at Holy Trinity Church, 122 Vliet Blvd., Cohoes. Interment in St. Agnes Cemetery, Cohoes. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Ave., Menands 12204 or Holy Trinity Church, Cohoes.