Bob "Cat" Marcello

Obituary of Bob Marcello
Robert Gerard Marcello, "Bob" or "Cat" to most, was born on February 12, 1951 to parents Anthony "Tony" & Florence "Smitty" Marcello. Born and raised in Boonton himself, Bob was proud to raise his three daughters, Fran, Sheila & Bobbie Anne in the town he loved. Bob was a great man, a wonderful father and an amazing PopCat to his grandchildren, they were the loves of his life. Bob was a friend to everyone who knew him. A Boonton fixture; a kind, caring and selfless man who was the life of the party; a reliable friend with the best sense of humor and the most contagious laugh; an optimistic, positive person that was content and grateful for everything in his life.
He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Boonton and was class of '69 at Morris Catholic High School. He continued his education at Kings College in Wilkes Barre PA, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, he returned home to help run the family business at Marcello Sporting Goods alongside his father & two brothers.
Bob was a devout Catholic and continued his involvement with OLMC Church & School. He organized CCD classes & annual retreats for students making their Confirmation; was President of the PTO, and played a vital role in fundraising, specifically where he spearheaded OLMC's annual $100k raffle to keep it alive when it was slated to close. Bob was close to God and could always help put things into perspective.
Always volunteering for everything he could, Bob was a past chairperson for the Boonton Tri Town Chamber Golf Outings; past President of the Boonton Tri Town Chamber of Commerce; and a member of The Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick which raised funds for children in Ireland to bring them to the United States for the summer.
When you think of Cat Marcello, there's two major organizations that come to mind, The Knights of Columbus and The New York Yankees. During college, Bob received his 1 Degree Knight of Columbus. He went on to become a Grand Knight and a 4 Degree Knight. He was the main caretaker and go- to person for the Knights' events including the infamous beefsteak fundraisers; Cat got Uncle Floyd to come to Boonton where they would become lifelong friends. They recently honored Cat by renaming the building, The Robert "Cat" Marcello Knights of Columbus.
There is no greater Yankee Fan than Bob Marcello. When you walked into Marcello's Sport Shop, Cat, was the smiley face behind the counter that was always ready to talk about the game from the night before. He tried to make it to as many games as he could each season and kept the tickets as keepsakes to prove it! He could tell you every player, stat and outcome of every Yankee game played for the past 100 years. If you were lucky enough you would of attended one of Cat's numerous Yankee game bus trips! Some great memories for a lot of Boontonites.
He was also a New York Giants, Knicks and Rangers fan. Bob loved to watch all sports but loved playing softball. At one point in the late 70's he was on 4 softball teams, always playing catcher!
He lived a life of service. He listed 9 of them on his business card! T-shirts, hall rentals, catering, umpire, Substance Abuse Counselor, bartending, tickets, pizza, and airport trips!
Sober for 17 years, Bob submerged himself into AA & helping people achieve sobriety. He attended & led countless meetings; often as a guest speaker or a driver for people in need of help. He was passionate about mentoring & sponsoring others, "because a pickle can never be a cucumber ever again". Since his passing, so many people have reached out to share how he saved their life and what he did for them, which solidity's how truly special he was; an inspiration to the AA community and known throughout the Morris County area.
Bob is survived by his three daughters, Francine (Riley Ury), Sheila, and Bobbie Anne (Eric Prado); his grandchildren, William, Benjamin, Stella & Theo; his siblings, Bill Marcello (Marianne), Debbie Kappes (George), Kathy Beiermeister; Danny Marcello (John) & former wife Christine; his parents, Tony & Smitty Marcello and his grandson Cooper, predeceased him.
Services will be held at Dangler Lewis & Carey Funeral Home on Tuesday, July 9, from 3-7pm. The funeral service will be at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Boonton on Wednesday July 10 at 11am.
In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations made to the Town of Boonton Veterans Banner Program. https://www.boonton.org/DocumentCenter/View/5298/veterans-sponsor-form