OBITUARY: Robert J. "Bob" Smith, 69, of Wilmington

Robert J. Smith – Born in Winchester, MA and raised in Wilmington, MA. He was the loving son of Robert and Josephine (Hardy) Smith, who predeceased him. Robert graduated from Wilmington High School in 1965, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Providence College, and a Master’s Degree from Boston College, all with honors. He also earned his certifications in Programming from Honeywell Institute and in Project Management from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was married to Trudy (Montuori) in March, 1970, and has one son, Kevin, and two grandchildren, Skyler and Chandler Smith, of Saugus, MA.

Following college, Robert worked for 26 years for New England Telephone, now Verizon, as a manager with varied assignments in Computer/Technical Support, Project Management and Human Resources responsible for college recruiting. He taught recruiting techniques to other Bell subsidiaries throughout the country. His final assignment took him to New York where he was responsible for a large scale consolidation project.

In 1997, Robert opted for early retirement from New England Telephone and joined First Data Corporation as Director of Operations, in Daytona Beach, FL. He was responsible for the innovative start-up project, which included overseeing construction and eventual staffing and training of personnel to service all Sprint customers for directory assistance.

Robert completed his professional career as Director-Nielsen Media Research, overseeing approximately 2200 employees in Dunedin and Oldsmar, FL, and in Kentucky. He retired from Nielsen in 2008.

Robert inspired all who knew him. He never stopped learning and was a student of history, literature, politics, and most especially classical music, from its origins in early church music to present day composers. He loved sailing in Ipswich, Rockport, and Gloucester during summers. He was an avid traveler, and with Trudy, visited many Caribbean countries and Bermuda. Their last most memorable trip was to Ireland.

Most importantly, Robert was loved and admired by all who knew him. He was a wonderful husband of 46 years, a great father to his son, Kevin, and a loving grandfather to Skyler and Chandler. He delighted in taking them to Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, museums and aquariums, and to Nascar races in Daytona Beach. He loved watching them play baseball, both in Florida and Massachusetts. Bob was a dear brother to Elizabeth “Betty” Ozolins and her husband Armins of Essex, MA. He is also survived by his brother-in-law William Montuori and daughter-in-law Michelle Smith. He will be sadly missed by all whose lives he touched.

Family and friends will gather at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 62), Wilmington, on Saturday, December 3rd at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington at 10:00 a.m. Interment in Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington. Visiting hours will be held at the Funeral Home on Friday, December 2nd from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Memorial donations in Robert’s name may be made to a Charity on One’s Choice.

Obituary and photo courtesy of the Nichols Funeral Home.