Robert George McGinnis, 81, of Farmington, devoted husband, loving father, proud grandfather was taken by the Lord on January 9, 2015 peacefully in his sleep at home. Robert was born August 20,1933 in Boston, MA, son of the late Dr. George and Madeline (Bevelander) McGinnis. Robert attended Allston High School and graduated from Boston College, a proud Eagle, with a degree in Industrial Management in 1955. He served in the military after completing ROTC training and became an Artillery First Lieutenant in South Korea. Upon returning, Robert completed four more years at Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Niagara, NY studying Theology. He was a devoted Catholic Priest for 8 years. Robert made the heart wrenching decision to leave the Priesthood in order to marry his wife, Barbara, and fulfill his dream of experiencing marriage and fatherhood. He went on to become a Human Resources Director, the majority of his career spent at CHCP, in New Haven. Robert served on the Board of Education in Farmington, he was PTO President, Republican Town Committee member, and Lector at St. Mary's (Unionville) for many years. He was passionate on the Pro-Life Committee and worked hard to raise funds and donations for struggling mothers. He discovered great joy in line-dancing in his retirement years. He had a heart of gold, and enjoyed spending time with his abundant friends and longtime neighbors who loved him like family. He had a great love of sports and all things UConn. He devoted many hours to fostering his children and grandchildren's skills in all they embarked on. He cheered all his children on in their countless games at Tunxis Meade (Farmington) and was never short on after game advice. He never gave up hope, and supported his family through the toughest of times. He had his entire family together for Christmas and was delighted to have seen all four of his children married before his passing. He is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Barbara (Brackett) McGinnis who provided much of his care for many years in their home while he fought Parkinson's disease and removal of both kidneys which required extreme dedication. He is also survived by his loving sister Elizabeth (McGinnis) and George Popko of Farmington and their daughter Beth Popko, and daughter Nancy(Popko) and Steve Sussmann of New Jersey. He is also survived by his four children; son Kevin and Diana (Rolny) McGinnis of Plainville and their children Jamison and Alana, daughter Kelly (McGinnis) and Duff O'Melia of North Carolina and their seven children Madeline, Gavin, Keagan, Luke, Gabrielle, Makinley, and Logan, son Kenneth and MaryEllen (Brackett) of Watertown and their children Tommy and Lilly, daughter Kathryn (McGinnis) and Brian Healy of Thomaston and their son Brendan. We would like to thank all of his friends and neighbors who went above and beyond visiting, calling, and responding to all of Bob's many needs. We would also like to thank the tireless staff at UConn Dialysis Center (Farmington) for their years of excellent care and patience. Friends may call at The Ahern Funeral Home, 111 Main St., Rt. 4, Unionville TODAY from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Funeral procession from The Ahern Funeral Home will be Monday (Jan. 12) at 9:15am followed by the Funeral Liturgy in the Church of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Unionville at 10:00am. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Avon. Donations may be sent to the CT Working Group (CPWG) at: CPWG Treasurer, 14 Brettonwood Dr., Simsbury, CT 06070. To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.ahernfuneralhome.com.
|
Published in The Hartford Courant from Jan. 10 to Jan. 11, 2015
|
