Robert Michael Kasprzyk

Beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend Robert Michael Kasprzyk died suddenly on July 8, 2024, less than a month after celebrating his 79th birthday.

Bob was a lifelong public servant. After graduating from the University of Buffalo, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1968. As a Quartermaster during the Vietnam War, he steered the USS New Jersey and Kitty Hawk, and served his country for 4 years. He spent most of his time in the Pacific and Vietnam, with his fondest memories focused on the quieter moments of the Kitty Hawk docked in San Diego. Bob was not spared the misdirected cruelty that service members experienced when returning stateside during this turbulent era. Decades later, he would return to San Diego where he was thanked for his service by a stranger for the first time in his life, and spent the rest of his years proudly telling the story of being able to recapture a love of the city and of his sacrifice to our nation.

His public service continued with positions working for Erie County and the New York State Health Department, and later at Rochester Regional Health, where he worked until just last year.

The great love of Bob's life was his wife, Sandy, with whom he celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary last year. A love affair for the ages, they met on a blind date arranged by her mother on April 12, 1973, and were engaged 6 weeks later. That they waited 5 months to get married was only a testament to Bob not having enough paid time off to do it sooner, before whisking her off on one of their many adventures. From the day they met to the day he died, Sunshine and Moonbeam - as they were known to each other - were by each other's side and the best example of healthy love and friendship that anyone could ever hope for.

Bob was forever devoted to the New York Yankees, Buffalo Bills and Elvis Presley. In the final days of his life, audio from the 1996 World Series or melodies from the rat pack could be heard at all hours in his hospital room. He was an avid collector who was passionate about the journey for his discoveries. He took great pride in his collections and was quick to share them with others.

In the last years of his life, Bob wrote a 480 page memoir, gifting his family with his rich history, lived experiences and perspectives on the modern day. It was a labor of love, and a gift to those who mourn his passing.

Those who knew him, admired him, most notably the family he has left behind. Sons, Michael and Christopher, idolized him and will forever aspire to be the husband, son, father and friend he taught them to be. He was grateful that they both found love over the past few years, and treated their wives Melissa (Schwartz) and Ashley (Bishop) as family. He is survived by five grandchildren (Michailey, Emmelia, Mikey, Nicholas and Marley), all of whom had the recent opportunity to spend time with him; his brother Dennis and wife Mary; aunt Dorothy Arabas; nephews Stephen and Jeffrey, and several cousins, great nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Bob’s life will be held in the coming weeks. For more information, email rememberingbobk@gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research