Robert J. Bazzanella

Robert, fondly known as “Mr. Bob” to many of the area school children who rode his bus, was born to Mario and Teresa (Pressel) Bazzanella on September 2nd, 1944, in Brooklyn, NY. Middle of three siblings, he attended Grover Cleveland High School. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army and served in Vietnam as an aircraft mechanic, specializing in OV-1 Mohawks.

Following his discharge, Robert worked in the family catering business, which is how he fortuitously met his wife, Charlotte. His long-range career was as a driver for the United Parcel Service where he accumulated a lot of fond memories and crazy stories. He moved his family to Hillsdale, NJ in 1972 into a brand-new home on the former Clendenny Farm property and remained in residence since. His first retirement, after 25 years, from UPS led to a long second career driving for Scholastic Bus Company. He was well known throughout the Pascack Valley by current and former students as Mr. Bob. Many students were lucky enough to be one of “his kids” who he watched over like family, and a couple of them reconnected with him during his illness as his nurses who in turn took care of him like family. He truly loved his work and took such tremendous pride in how he connected with people.

Bob met his beloved wife, Charlotte, by way of introduction by his father. Bob’s father was quite fond of Charlotte and knew that his son would be too. They married in 1969 and settled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in a duplex where they welcomed their son, Rob, in 1971. They moved to Hillsdale in 1972 with his adored mother-in-law in tow so that they could enjoy a more rural life.

Over the years they watched Hillsdale grow, became active members of Saint John the Baptist Church and school, volunteered with the Scouts, and worked many fundraisers. In his later years, he joined the Hillsdale Post #162 of the American Legion.

In 1998, Bob gained a daughter when his son married Stephanie and, in 2004 and 2005, they welcomed two beautiful granddaughters, Sophia and Amelia. He was the kind of grandpa who climbed into the playhouse, watched Disney shows, played checkers, and shared chicken nuggets. Bob absolutely adored his family and his pride in them was ever present.

Bob had many hobbies which included incessantly doting on his granddaughters, amateur gardening and landscaping, feeding all the birds of the neighborhood, watching sappy movies on the Hallmark Channel, being incredibly mischievous, and endless word search puzzle books.

Robert is survived by his wife Charlotte, his son Robert and daughter-in-law Stephanie, and his granddaughters Sophia and Amelia. He is also survived by his brother Richard (Theresa). Robert was predeceased by his sister Ginger Handel. He also leaves behind a great number of nieces and nephews of whom he was incredibly fond.

A visitation for Robert will be held Wednesday, March 6, 2024, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ 07675. A funeral mass will occur Thursday, March 7, 2024, from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at St. John the Baptist R.C. Church, 69 Valley Street, Hillsdale, NJ 07642. Burial to be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Robert’s honor would be appreciated to either St. Jude Children’s Cancer Research or to The American Legion - General Leonard E. Wood Post 162 - Hillsdale NJ

https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude-today.html?frquency_selected=1&sc_icid=header-btn-donate-now&home-btn-top-right

https://americanlegionpost162.org/index.php?id=109