ROBERT DENNIS CALLAGY
March 24, 1945–April 18, 2024
Robert Dennis Callagy, known as RD to some, Dennis to others, and Grandad or Poppy to his grandkids, lived a big, happy life. He was an old-school New Yorker and a Wall Street lawyer with an alpha personality, a firm handshake, and a kind, poetic heart. He was Mensa smart, quick-witted, and self-driven—and despite all his success he still had a way of making you feel special. He worked hard and played hard, enjoying the fine things, and sailing the world with Lynne, his childhood sweetheart and wife of nearly 60 years. He died April 18, 2024, of cardiovascular disease at the Treasure Coast Hospice House in Fort Pierce. He was 79.
Born March 24, 1945, in Flushing, he was the fourth child in his Irish Catholic family, heritage he was proud of. He grew up playing stickball on Northern Boulevard (when the cars weren’t coming) and looking after his younger brother when he wasn’t beating him up. He was a much sought-after altar boy because of his ability to speak Latin. He won trophies for his swimming achievements at Delehanty High School and played guitar in a rock-n-roll band called The Crystals. The family spent summers on Cape Cod in a cottage their grandfather built, and his childhood was filled with the kind of freedoms you can imagine, hours spent riding bikes or poring over hot rod magazines.
He received his BA in social psychology, cum laude, from Fairfield University. He and Lynne married in 1964 and he put himself through law school at Fordham University with four kids at home. Meanwhile, they moved to Oregon and back to New York and then to Redding Ridge, CT, to Pocasset, MA, then to Dallas, TX and lastly to Fort Pierce, FL, where they resided on South Hutchinson Island.
He worked for ten years at the Wall Street Law Firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, representing Fortune 100 corporations in litigation, merger, acquisition, spin-off, IPO, and transactional deals in the multi-million to multi-billion-dollar range.
Later, he worked as Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel of a financial holding company, real estate investment trust, and service start-ups in the technology, hospitality, and sports arena.
He was the Chief Executive Officer and President of AVRA Financial, Inc., a financial services company serving the small to medium business market and its investors.
RD led major legal and data initiatives for AHMSI, McAfee, EDS, ACS, Wal-Mart, Exxon/Mobil, TVGuide/Gemstar, telecoms, sports companies, commercial real estate services, hi-tech start-ups, and venture capital groups.
He served on the board of directors of numerous companies, educational institutions, religious, charitable organizations, and government boards.
These were busy years, but RD and Lynne found time to host New Year’s parties and Halloween parties with prizes for the best costumes and to take vacations with extended family. They continued to vacation on Cape Cod, squeezing into the family cottage. They enjoyed doubles tennis, and he played golf when he could. He enjoyed all things New York—the Yankees, the delis, the bagels, Junior’s cheesecake. He loved seafood, and there were always lobster bakes on the Cape.
In 1983, he bought a marina on the Cape, Green Pond Marina, with his brother Richard. Lynne ran the office. Sailing was always close to his heart, and he and Lynne sailed the world in a 109-foot wooden ship, the Vadura.
Later, in retirement, they moved to South Hutchinson Island, FL, where they bought and renovated a penthouse condo with a view of the Fort Pierce inlet, with its celebrity yachts coming and going. At the end of their lives, it was just the two of them. They were devoted grandparents and great-grandparents.
We think of him in shorts and a T-shirt, sitting on the deck, telling jokes or talking about life, reminiscing, entertaining us with his stories, perhaps solving a problem. RD, Dennis, Grandad, Poppy, you were the life of the party. You remain in our hearts and memories.
RD is survived by his son Dennis Michael (Susan Liziewski Callagy) Callagy of Cocoa, FL; daughter Michelle Lynne (Michael Mollica) Callagy Mollica of Pembroke, MA; daughter, Kristen Anne (Tom Caron) Callagy of Bangor, ME; grandchildren Devon, Brianna, Kyle, Kayla, Kathleen, Brooke, Abigail, and Meaghan; one great-grandchild, Peter Henry Joyce III; and siblings W. David (Sharon) Callagy of Chevy Chase, MD, and Peter (Peggy) Callagy of Pocasset, MA. He was preceded in death by his son Scott Christopher (Monique Gross Callagy) Callagy of Dallas, TX; his siblings Suzanne C. Collins and Richard Callagy; and his wife, Lynne Anne Schweitzer Callagy.
A Celebration of Life for RD and Lynne is planned for July 20, 2024, in Bourne, Cape Cod overlooking Buzzard’s Bay. In addition, a golf outing is planned for RD.
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