He came into the world a Trinidadian, and after a brief stint as an Englishman, then a Canadian, he left this world as an American.
He was born on September 20, 1938 in the village of St. Helena when Trinidad and Tobago was still a British Colony. He was the youngest child of Choya Ragoonanan, having two older brothers, Moor and Paris and an older sister Phulbasia all three of whom are now deceased.
Bob was smart, and he knew it, so did his brothers. They banded together to save up and send him to study physics at the University of London, UK. He then went on to get a masters degree in solid state physics at Brighton University in Sussex.
Eventually he returned to Trinidad as a Lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI). While at UWI he met Jennifer Mohammed. He used every ounce of charm he had on Jenny, going as far as to follow her to Canada. They were married on September 6th, 1975. Bob and Jenny welcomed their son, Warren in 1976.
Canadian life was not an easy transition for Bob, and the cold did not help. He retrained as a software engineer and systems analyst. He then went on to get his Ph. D in Computer Science.
Eventually the hard work paid off. In the 1990s, computer scientists were in high demand, so Bob and Jenny moved to the United States. They settled first in St. Louis, Missouri and then moved to Pembroke Pines, Florida in 1999. Bob became an U.S. Citizen and welcomed the 21st Century as a proud American and Floridian. He ended his career as a professor of computer science at Miami-Dade College before retiring in 2013.
Bob loved his life. He loved his work, he loved his wife, and he loved his son. He also loved a good conversation over a glass of single malt scotch. Please join us in celebrating Bob’s life.
Visitation
Wednesday, February 5th, 2025 – 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM EST cremation to follow
Fred Hunter Funeral Home - 6301 Taft St, Hollywood, FL , USA, 33024
Memorial
Thursday, February 6th, 2025 – 10:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST (service to start at 11:00 AM)
Fred Hunter Funeral Home - 6301 Taft St, Hollywood, FL , USA, 33024
Flowers are appreciated. However, in lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
