Robert J. Malone, 88, of Township of Washington, formerly of Old Tappan, died peacefully at The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, on June 15, 2019.
Born on Feb. 5, 1931 in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Franklin and Mary Malone.
As a young man, Bob was educated by the Vincentian Fathers, first at St. John’s Preparatory High School and thereafter at St. John’s University. During the course of his life, Bob had a love of everything that was maritime in nature. He was particularly proud of the fact that at the age of 19, he earned his U.S. Coast Guard license as a captain and operated ferry boats from Sheepshead Bay to Rockaway, N.Y.
A veteran of the Korean Conflict, Bob proudly served in the United States Marine Corps and received an honorable discharge in 1959.
On June 29, 1957, he married the love of his life, Winifred and thereafter embarked on a career of over 30 years in the food industry as a marketing and sales executive, first with the Bird’s Eye Division of General Foods and later as a Vice President of Dixie Consumer.
Bob and Winnie’s journey took them from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Buffalo, N.Y., to Livingston, N.J., to Bloomfield Hills, Mi., and finally back to New Jersey and Old Tappan, where they lived for over 20 years.
While living in Old Tappan, Bob was very active member of the community serving on several town committees, as a Little League coach and a committee member for the Boys Scout Troop 132 for many years. He was a long time member of the Hackensack Golf Club where, for many years, he was Santa Claus during the Children’s Christmas Shows.
Bob is pre-deceased by his parents, Franklin and Mary and his two sisters, Janet and Maureen. He is survived by his wife of nearly 62 years, Winifred; and his three children, Robert K. and his wife, Janet, James E. and Noreen E and her husband Neil Hansen; his five grandsons, Andrew, Tad, Kevin, Kenny and Michael; and one great-grandson. He is also survived by his brother, Paul.
The family received friends at Becker Funeral Home on Thursday, June 20. A Mass of celebrating Bob’s life was held June 21 at Our Lady Mother of the Church, Woodcliff Lake.
Private burial at Calvary Cemetery, Queens. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s memory may be to either St. Joseph’s College, N.Y. Class of 1956 Scholarship Fund or The Seeing Eye Fund, Morristown.
