Robert A. Copley

Robert A. Copley Sr. (known to most as “Bob”) died peacefully on Tuesday, July 15th, 2025, at the age of 92. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Bob was the ninth of ten children in a large Irish family. A standout athlete at Lowell High School, Bob excelled in track and field before enlisting in the U.S. Navy after graduation. He served during the Korean War era, attending the Navy’s “A” School for avionics and electronics, and later became an instructor at the Navy’s training center in Millington, Tennessee.

After his military service, Bob began his civilian career at RCA in Burlington, Massachusetts while earning his engineering degree from Northeastern University. In the early 1970s, he accepted a position at the Naval Air Engineering Center (NAEC) in Lakehurst, NJ, where he led avionics support equipment development.

In 1982, Bob founded TPS Associates, Inc., an engineering and technical services firm based in Manchester, NJ. A true pioneer in his field, he became a nationally recognized expert in Automatic Test Equipment and Test Program Sets for U.S. Naval weapons systems. Over the decades, he published articles, served as an expert witness, and mentored countless engineers. Bob remained on the board of TPSA until his death, and his legacy lives on in the systems he helped build and the people he inspired.

Bob’s professional accomplishments were only part of the story. He was beloved for his wit, warmth, and boundless generosity. A man with a quick comeback and a big heart, Bob lit up every room he entered. He was passionate about Boston sports, golf, karaoke, and fishing trips to the Florida Keys with fellow members of the AHIF. His annual Super Bowl parties were legendary. A proud member of the American Legion (Toms River), AMVETS (Jackson), and Elks Lodge #1875, Bob gave back to his community in countless ways.

For many years, Bob spent his winters in Boynton Beach, Florida, where he was a communicant at St. Mark’s Catholic Church. He was known to tease his northern friends by reporting the weather from Florida as, “with the wind chill, it’s 83 degrees.”

Bob is survived by his youngest sister Ann Swiderski of Dracut, MA, four children: Marian Kolas of Taylors, SC; Michael Copley (Cynthia) of Toms River, NJ; Christine Copley of Huntington, NY; and Robbie Copley Jr. (Diogo) of Brooklyn, NY. He is also survived by his grandchildren—Caran Kolas, Christan Kolas, Collette Rapp (David), and Sydni Hawkins—as well as many great-grandchildren; great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 24th from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, 703 Main St. Toms River. A funeral Mass will follow at 11:30 AM at St. Joseph's R.C. Church, 685 Hooper Ave., Toms River, NJ. Final Prayers and Navy Honors will take place Thursday, 1:30PM at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in memory of Bob to St. Jude Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105 or by visiting [email protected]