Robert Francis Messina

1946 - 2022

Robert "Bob/Bobby/Bob-Bob" Francis Messina, 75, of Windsor, CT passed away peacefully on March, 17th 2022 surrounded in love by his wife of nearly 50 years and two daughters. He leaves a huge hole in the hearts of his family and friends who were always entertained by his gadgets, embellished story-telling, and enamoring sense of humor. Although he was intimidating to many of his daughter's boyfriends by flexing his tough Italian persona, he truly brought love, life, and light to everything he touched. Bob was born on March 29, 1946 in Glen Ridge, NJ son of the late Frank S. and Mary (Pierro) Messina, he was raised in Caldwell and West Caldwell, NJ and was a graduate of James Caldwell High School, Class of 1963. In his school years he was a swimmer and wrestler, later becoming a jack of all trades through various occupations as he tested out his adulthood. Those included being a well digger, a handy man, and a mailman which led him to meet the love of his life, Ellen. Once she whipped him into shape and eliminated the riff raff he was otherwise up to, he completed his bachelors' degree in mathematics at St. Peters University in Jersey City in 1973. His success continued as he shifted focus into the world of Information Technology taking him to Aetna where he met life-long friends. Then he realized his entrepreneurial spirit and developed his own company, Advanced Systems Development, Inc. where he provided consulting services to many large corporations and traveled across the US and beyond to the UK and India to teach. Bob in a nutshell = His standard uniform consisted of a white v neck t-shirt and a dungaree tuxedo (gussied up with his gold cross and pinky ring) and in his pocket was always a pocket knife, a handkerchief, Starburst candies and a dog treat or two. He was an 'organized hoarder" of gadgets, tools, or any other trinket of the moment... He was fiercely patriotic and may have been known to unapologetically make his positions well known publically regardless of how many Facebook friends he lost. …Though he didn't care for being "taxed", he did care a lot about giving to those that needed it more than him. He was a consistent contributor to charities throughout his entire life. Though he was analytical, he was also creative and expressed that characteristic through designing houses he lived in, building unnecessary decks and fences, decorating for Halloween and Christmas, and through contributing "above and beyond" to his daughters' various school projects growing up. Bob was determined and resilient... No matter what the challenge or request, he gave his all to ensure he exceeded all expectations whether for himself or others. It was his most important wish for his daughters and his grandchildren to always do better than they ever could have imagined possible. He was loved by everyone who ever met him; a devoted father and grandfather, a great husband and a prized friend to so many people. No matter the circumstance, you'd always leave with the warmest feeling about the time spent with him. He loved to be around people and laugh. Besides his loving wife, he leaves two daughters, Heather Dlugolenski and her husband Marc of East Granby and Holly Soltys and her husband Stephen of Suffield; four grandsons, Robert and Jason Dlugolenski both of East Granby and Jude and Jordan Soltys both of Suffield; two sisters, Marilyn Mount and her husband Robert of Whippany, NJ and Faith Caggiano of Charlotte, NC; a sister-in-law, Janice Lautier of Southington; and 16 nieces and nephews. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Gary F. Messina; a sister, Carol McGrath; and two brothers-in-law, Jack McGrath and Jack Lautier. His family will receive friends on Tuesday, March 22, 5-8 p.m., at the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated on Wednesday, March 23, 10 a.m., at St. Damien of Molokai Parish – St. Joseph Church, 1747 Poquonock Ave., Windsor. Burial will be private in St. Joseph Cemetery, Poquonock. The family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516 or to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. For online condolences please visit, www.carmonfuneralhome.com.