Robert D Campopiano

Robert Donald Campopiano, Sr. of Fall Church, Virginia, died peacefully at home after a long battle with ALS. Bob died the day before his 75th birthday surrounded by his family, after receiving hundreds of birthday wishes from family and friends.

Bob was the respected and dearly loved patriarch of his family. He is survived by his cherished wife, Lynn. They were married for nearly 53 years. He is also survived by his brother, Allan; his daughter, Carole Hayward and her husband, Steve; and his son, Robert, Jr. and his wife, Lisa. Robert is also survived by his two beloved grandchildren, Collin and Corinne; his step-grandson, Shelby Bentley, and his step-great-grandchildren, Alexia and Mason.

Bob grew up in Providence, the son of the late Allie and Louise (Viti) Campopiano. After graduating from Mount Pleasant High School, Bob enlisted in the Marine Corps and served from 1957-1960. He then went to work for the State Department until 1966. During all of those years, he was assigned to communications and cryptographic operations. In 1966, he became a computer programmer trainee for the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) (now the Defense Information Systems Agency).

1n 1968, he joined C3, Inc., and for three years, he wrote and implemented software for the automation of the Pentagon Telecommunications Center during the height of the Vietnam War. In 1971, he returned to the government with the Army Computer Systems Command and then DCA. In 1975, he became Chief of the Automatic Digital Network (AUTODIN) Programming Branch at Ft. Detrick in Maryland. The AUTODIN sites switched narrative and data traffic for all defense and many civilian agencies. For six years, he was responsible for developing software specifications, creating software using government and contractor personnel, testing the software, and implementing it in switches around the world. He then returned to DCA headquarters as Chief of Applications Programming. Before retirement, he supported development of the Defense Message System, an email-based replacement for AUTODIN.

In his retirement years, Bob enjoyed golfing, gardening, and genealogy research. He delighted in sharing what he learned about the family’s ancestors with the rest of the family. He and his wife traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and several European countries, and they took occasional cruises. The highlight of their retirement was living near their children and participating in the growing up years of their grandchildren.

The family will receive visitors who wish to pay their respects on Monday, October 13, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151. The funeral service will be held Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 10 a.m., Friendship United Methodist Church, 3527 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22041. The burial service will be at Quantico National Cemetery. Donations in Bob’s memory would be welcome at Capital Caring Hospice (www.capitalcaring.org/join-us/donate) and The ALS Association DC/MD/VA Chapter (http://webdc.alsa.org).