Robert J. Blackburn Sr.

Robert John Blackburn, Sr. (Bob) passed away peacefully at age 86 in Fairfield, CT on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

Bob was born in Jersey City, NJ just before midnight on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1938. He was always thrilled that the nation celebrated his birthday with fireworks! He grew up in Jersey City with his parents, Mary and Frank Blackburn, his older brother Frank, and his younger brother Ken. Bob loved to tell stories and share very fond memories about his immediate and extended family during their time in Jersey City, especially when living on the second floor at 106 Storms Avenue with his mother's parents, Rose and John Famiglietti, who owned the building and lived on the first floor.

Bob graduated from Lincoln High School in Jersey City in 1956, where he was the Senior Class President, voted as "Most Popular", "Did Most for Lincoln", and "Most Likely to Succeed", was on the Varsity fencing team and received a fencing award, and acted in a few class plays. Bob became an expert fencer, and while attending college at Stevens Institute of Technology, as Varsity Fencing Captain, he earned a gold medal as the Middle Atlantic State Collegiate Athletic Conference Sabre Champion in 1959, silver and bronze medals in Sabre for the same conference in 1960, and was the NCAA Fencing Top 3rd Sabre Champion in 1959. He last fenced at an alumni meet at Stevens at age 65 and won a match against a 20 year old! He graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor in Engineering.

On July 4, 1957, fate intervened and he met his sweetheart, soon-to-be wife, Anne, while both families were swimming at Crestmere Lake in NJ. Bob loved to often retell the unusual way that he introduced himself to Anne by nudging her off the wooden decked raft in the lake and into the water while her cousin Mildred (Landolfi) DiNardo beside her, bewildered, refrained from decking him! Bob's method somehow worked, Anne gave him her telephone number, and Bob and Anne married a few years later on September 11, 1960. Their three children, Debbie, Bobby, and Cindy were born shortly thereafter. Since Jersey City, Bob has lived in Plainfield, Bridgewater, Freehold, and Chatham, NJ with Anne and children before moving to McKinney, TX then to Huntington, CT with Anne.

He began his career at Bell Labs in NJ, earned two Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering (NYU), and in Management Science (Pace Univ). He later worked for Bellcore in NJ, then Alcetel and IBM in TX, before retiring from IBM in NY. During his career, he was a contributor to three major firsts in communications: first nationwide multipoint digital network for computer networks, first cellular trial system in Chicago, first nationwide switchable digital fiber optic network for broadcast TV. He was truly remarkable and innovative in his field!

Bob enjoyed painting, playing piano, guitar, and ukulele, watching old classic movies, playing tennis until he was almost 80 years old, traveling with Anne all over the world (his favorites were Italy and throughout Europe). Bob had a life-long love of learning and took classes on learning to speak Italian, watched CDs from Great Courses, and read many biographical books about historical figures. Bob loved to reminisce and tell stories about past accomplishments and memories, especially about his wife Anne and her family, and the many trips that he and Anne had taken over the years as well as the many local spots they used to visit.

Bob is survived by his daughter Debra Zaccagnino and her husband Robert of Fairfield, CT and their two daughters, Jessica Zaccagnino and her fiancé James Ninia of Hamden, CT, and Melissa Zaccagnino of Fairfield, CT; son Robert Blackburn, Jr. of Gordonville, PA and former daughter-in-law Wendy Blackburn of Kennett Square, PA, and their two sons Kyle Blackburn and his wife Rebecca of Glen Mills, PA, and Alex Blackburn of Kennett Square, PA; daughter Cynthia Moss and her husband Robert of Sugar Grove, IL and their two "children" French Bulldogs, Wellington and Chuck. Bob is also survived by his older brother Frank Blackburn and his husband Nicolas Shi of Washington DC, and his younger brother Kenneth Blackburn and his wife Helen of Chicago, IL; his brother-in-law Anthony D'Auria, Jr. and his wife Deborah of Morristown, NJ. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and longtime friend Jim Orrico of Southport, CT. He was also lucky enough in recent years to have a second chance at love with Joyce Levine of Township of Washington, NJ.

Bob is predeceased by his beloved wife of 60 years, Anne Blackburn who battled pancreatic cancer and passed away in 2020, and his parents Mary and Frank Blackburn.

All services will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Pancreatic Cancer Network