Robert John Clerkin Jr.

Robert John Clerkin Jr. (62) from Dover, NH was the funniest, sweetest curmudgeon you would ever meet, and the proud father of Connor and Katie. He passed away on November 20, 2025, at Mass General Hospital in Boston surrounded by his family. He had suffered his 7th stroke on November 16th, the day after his 62nd birthday. His family is comforted knowing that he had two pieces of his beloved Carvel ice cream cake the night before. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let's start at his beginning.
Rob was born on 11/15/1963 in Jersey City, NJ to Robert Sr. (who predeceased him in 2012) and Mary (Geraghty) Clerkin (who he made a habit of calling regularly but did not get back to NJ to see as often as he would have liked). He was the only boy in a family with 5 sisters that he leaves behind. Barbara Clerkin (Bernard Federici), Diane Moss (John Moss), Lori Clerkin Carrubba (Gaetano Carrubba), Elizabeth Smutz (Paul Smutz), and Michele Mazmanian (Mark Mazmanian) helped shape Rob into a thoughtful and respectful guy. He always removed his hat indoors, held doors for anyone coming up behind him, and stood when a lady left or came back to the table.
A graduate of Matawan (NJ) Regional High School in 1981, he attended Stockton State where he partied his way into going into the Navy instead. You only had to see Rob to know how much his service meant to him; he was always sporting a ship's hat, t-shirt, or sweatshirt. He spent 6 years as an Electronic Warfare Technician. He served on the USS Capodanno (FF-1093) (1985-1986) where he was deployed on a Mediterranean/Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf Cruise (and went through the Suez Canal). He was involved when the ship crossed the "Line of Death" in the disputed Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, where the US bombed Libya under Muammar Qaddafi. While on the Capodanno, Chernobyl blew up, the Achille Lauro hijacking occurred, and the ship followed a Soviet submarine all the way across the Indian Ocean (Rob was proud that he was the one that picked up their signal on radar). After schooling in Pensacola, FL, he was sent to Yokosuka, Japan where he served on the USS Midway (CV-41) from 1986 – 1989, cruising the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Gulf. He had incredible experiences and formed life-long friendships in Japan. In 1989, he left the Midway and was sent to the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) where he served until he separated from the Navy in 1990 as an EW2. Rob was pleased to have had TAD (temporary assigned duty) on the USS Reeves (CG-24), USS Long Beach (CGN-9), USS Bunker Hill (CG-52), USS Iowa (BB-61), and USS Sterett (CG-31).
Rob was a long-time employee for a few companies and ended his working career with Klein Marine Systems. He derived great satisfaction from the many strong relationships he made with his colleagues, fixing equipment, and travelling the world to install and train customers on the equipment. He took great pleasure in the fact that he had been to six out of the seven continents (only missing Antarctica).
If you ever met him and spent more than 10 minutes with him, chances are you were added as a friend on Facebook. If so, he would check in on you and remember what you shared with him, asking follow-up questions about your kid's soccer tournament or your mother's health the next time you connected. If you were lucky enough to be walking past the house when the windows were open, you would probably have heard either Rob's Bigfoot yell- which he had mastered after many years of practice (!), or one of the many daily songs that he made up to sing to the dog. Besides, his wife, children, and family, Rob loved his dogs (even the one that his wife brought home by surprise – although admittedly, that one took a bit longer for him to warm up to), ice cream, hunting, fishing, and good hugs.
He loved the Yankees, Giants and Bruins (because he had an air hockey game with the Bruins as a child). He could not get enough of cryptozoology, history, the Knights Templar, and Oak Island. When visiting his mother, he never missed an opportunity to snoop through her cabinets, even though he had never lived there. He told people that he loved them (even if it made them uncomfortable!). If he cared for you, admired or respected you, he never left it unsaid.
Rob was known for his quick wit and humor, and could come up with puns on the spot. He didn't believe in leaving dishes in the sink, never once complaining about other people's (his wife's!) dishes or mugs left behind. When he discovered alpaca socks, he wore them year-round. Rob's pride in his children and their accomplishments was palpable. He loved his time helping to run the food tent for PEA crew, and took delight in being a "Guard Dad" for DHS Color Guard.
In 2013, Rob had his first stroke/cerebral hemorrhage. He recovered from that, and life returned mostly to normal, until his second massive stroke in 2021. That hemorrhage left him with deficits that took him away from driving and work. He had 3 more micro- bleeds and an ischemic stroke in 2023. Although these strokes left him with many challenges, he used the experience to volunteer in the brain injury community. He volunteered briefly with Wentworth Douglass Hosital's Stroke Survivor 2 Survivor program, and took great satisfaction with starting, with his wife, the only online support group in NH for stroke survivors and caregivers through the Brain Injury Association of NH. He was active in several other stroke support groups, always looking to encourage others. He especially loved his time in the now defunded stroke support program at UNH, and was always energized with his time spent at the Krempels Brain Injury Center. He was deeply appreciative of the work that KBIC did, and that of the Community Rides and ADA Paratransit program through COAST, which helped him get places once he stopped driving.
Rob was no saint, as the intro sentence indicated. He could be cranky; he hated wet socks, being cold, someone not taking care of his things, and new gas stations and banks popping up everywhere. He had "acorns of resentment" that he held on to quietly until you annoyed him again, then he would unbury them and remind you of your transgressions. He would grumble about going places and then on the way home exclaim, "Why don't we do this more often?"! Like most of us, Rob was filled with contradictions. He didn't like when people "messed with his stuff", but he was quick to give anything away that somebody liked. If he got money for his birthday or Christmas (usually from his mom) he would keep it in his wallet until he saw one of the kids to give them the cash, or until he found something that he would want to buy for his wife. He didn't like to share his food but always offered his wife both the first and last bite.
He leaves behind his wife of 34 years, Rebecca (Avery) Clerkin. Rob's devotion to her was expressed often and proudly to anyone that he spoke with, leaving no uncertainty about the depths of love he shared with her. His passing will leave an unfillable hole for his son and daughter-in-law Connor and Ariana (Brenner) Clerkin (along with an unborn granddaughter), and his daughter Katherine Clerkin, and her partner Nicholas Shaw. His dog Hayden will miss her endless "scritches" from him. He is survived by several in- laws and leaves behind beloved nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles, and cousins (both related by blood and those he was gifted through marriage). If Rob were writing this list, he would include all his childhood neighborhood friends, high school and college friends, shipmates, and work colleagues as those he's leaving behind. The world is a sadder place without him in it, but we are all made richer from having had the experience of knowing and loving him.
Services will be held to celebrate Rob's life on Saturday, December 13, 2025. Visitation will be from 10-11 am at St. Martin's Catholic Church (6 Saint Martin Way, Somersworth, NH), followed by a funeral mass. A link to the broadcast of the mass will be shared on Rob's Facebook page once it is obtained. Rob was not a formal person, so there is no need to wear all black or suits. Please feel free to dress comfortably in business casual.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Krempels Brain Injury Center (https://kbicenter.org/support/ways-to-give/) in Rob's memory.