Bob L Lizana

Bob Lee Lizana passed away on January 3, 2026, after a two-year battle with multiple myeloma. He was born on June 8, 1943, near Fort Bragg Military Base in North Carolina, where his father was stationed during WW2. The only child of Frankie and Dorothy Lizana, the family later moved to Georgia where Bob grew up loving to race motorcycles, fish and play sports. He graduated high school in 1961 with a full scholarship to play college football but instead chose to serve his country and joined the US Navy, where he got to live out his dream of traveling the world. After leaving the navy in 1966, he returned to Georgia for a short period before continuing his travels, picking up skills and jobs that he found fun and exciting. He lived in Alaska, California, Jamaica, and Honduras where he learned to be an expert scuba diver while working as a treasure hunter with the Cousteau family. He loved to learn, and he loved to share his knowledge with others, so he went on to become a scuba instructor, then a sky diving instructor, and even a ski instructor in Sun Valley, Idaho. Once Bob learned the skill of carpentry, he found his true calling of building homes. He settled down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in his late 20's and met his first wife, Rose, after just a couple months in Florida. They married in 1974 and had two daughters, Katie and Jessica. They moved to Dania where he had been working in construction with his best friends, Rusty and Vic. He joined the union and began working full-time as a carpenter. He later obtained his general contractor license.
He had made a friend who was building homes in a new section of Dania called Melaleuca Gardens. They built multiple homes together before Bob branched out with an investment from Berkley Florian, who was a resident and owner of multiple lots in the area. He ended up building more than a dozen homes in Melaleuca and ultimately built his dream home in 1980. Not having the heart to sell it, he and Rose made it theirs and cemented their place in Dania. He built many beautiful residential homes and eventually commercial restaurant projects as well, like Martha's on the Water in Hollywood and the historic September's and Montego Bay in Fort Lauderdale.
Not one to hide quietly in shadows, Bob quickly became a fixture in town and served as the president of the Dania Chamber of Commerce, the president of the Italian American Club, a member of the American Legion Post 304, a member of the Dania Beach Lions Club and in 1984, he and his wife Rose started the "good news only" Dania Press newspaper.
They ran the newspaper together for years, with Rose handling content and Bob running logistics. Although they separated in the late 1990s, the two remained best friends, co-parenting both their children and the newspaper, which became the Dania Beach Press in 1999 when the city changed its name. After his daughter Jessica took over the newspaper, Bob continued to run the delivery side of the business until he was 80 years old, and even then, it took illness to make him slow down. Bob had started a new career as a realtor® in the early 2000's and worked out of the A.J. Ryan Realty office with his friend, John Ryan. He loved real estate and used his contracting skills to find the best real estate investments around town. One of his proudest days was when his daughter Katie announced she was following him into real estate, knowing both his children were continuing the legacies he had built.
Bob was a giver and the person everyone called when they needed someone to count on. He never asked for, nor expected, anything in return. He loved helping people and a day was only worthwhile if he'd made someone else's life a little better or easier. Even after being diagnosed with cancer, he made sure to spend hours every week calling and checking on his friends to make sure they were okay. His loss is felt by countless people that loved and appreciated him. Bob liked to say, there are people that vacation in Florida, and there are people that live in Florida, and he planned to spend the rest of his life living here. He spent every morning walking miles along the beach with his best friend, Doug and enjoyed every sunrise the Lord gave him.
It was on Hollywood Beach Broadwalk he would meet his second wife, Florence Sessa Cancilla, in 2010. They were married in 2013 and lived in East Dania Beach, just minutes from his daughters. Together they enjoyed life and became very involved in their church, Church in the Glades, a Bible-based, non-denominational church led by Flo's brother, Pastor Dan Sessa. Bob and Flo were part of the Tuesday and Thursday night Bible studies, Wednesday morning prayer group, and served in the Sunday morning service. Bob enjoyed the Men's Bible study on Saturdays and Flo was part of the Women's Bible study group. They enjoyed traveling every chance they could, especially after Flo retired from teaching in 2017. The highlight of their travels were three trips to Israel to walk where Jesus walked and in 2015 getting baptized in the Jordan River.
Bob and Flo continued to walk the Hollywood Broadwalk every morning with their beach friends until moving to Port Saint Lucie in November 2024 to be near Flo's son, Danny and his wife, Natalia, to help and be part of their newborn son's, Daniel, life. Danny and Natalia introduced Bob and Flo to Calvary Chapel Palm City when they began searching for a church to serve the Lord in the Port St. Lucie area. They were part of this fellowship under Pastor Larry Sarver until Bob went to be with the Lord. Bob was so eager and ready to meet his Lord and Savior, Jesus. Bob's prayer was finally answered on January 3, 2026.
His memories will live on in his family, including Florence, Katie, Jessica, Elizabeth, Kevin, Trisha, Adam, Danny, Natalia, Jason, River, Eva, Emma, Sara and Daniel, along with an immeasurable group of extended family and friends.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, January 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lighthouse Community Church, 650 South Federal Highway in Dania Beach, FL 33004.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the MMRF, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or the Wounded Warrior Project for Veterans.