Robert Patrick Cosgrove

Robert Cosgrove (1964 -2023) lived a full life, despite it coming to an end far sooner than anyone could have anticipated. In his 59 years, he touched many of the lives around him. His legacy will be remembered by the stories used to describe him, many of which have been shared by friends and family in the light of his passing. Repeatedly, Rob has been described as generous, a problem solver, adventurous, loving, the life of the party, playful, a prankster, and above all else, so unbelievably lively through every stage of his life.

Born January 29th, 1964 to Carolyn (Adamy) and John Cosgrove, known endearingly as “Bobby” in his childhood, he was the older brother to Cliff and Carolyn, who he protected, defended, and teased fiercely. Bobby was born in North Kingstown, RI and spent his childhood and teenage years in New Jersey. He was heavily influenced by the summers spent with his cousins and siblings in Laporte, PA, Bruce Springsteen, and the life his parents built for him. Some of his greatest childhood joys, such as fishing on the Loyalsock Creek and spending the summers in Laporte, continued to be some of his greatest joys in his adulthood. Following graduating from Rumsom-Fair Haven High School in 1982, Rob followed in his father’s footsteps, attending Purdue University (1982-1986) where he earned an industrial engineering degree and met his first wife, Tami Davis.

Following graduation, Bob and Tami relocated to Virginia where Bob began his career working for Bell Atlantic and began one of his biggest and proudest life adventures - becoming a father. He welcomed his son Conor in December 1992, who was followed shortly by his daughter Delaney in February 1995. As a father, Bob passed on to his children his same playful, adventurous, and prankster nature. He instilled in his children a strong sense of curiosity, justice, and a love for history and the outdoors. Supporting his children through all of their ventures, from Cub Scouts leader, to field hockey coach, to martial arts videographer, Bob found so much pride and joy watching his children become adults and pursue their life passions. Some of his favorite memories include late nights in New Orleans visiting Delaney at Tulane University and over the top tailgates with Conor at Virginia Tech. A dedicated, engaged, and active father through every step of life, there was never a late night phone call he didn’t answer and never a problem he couldn’t solve.

By 2004, Rob had begun working at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he dedicated 19 years working as a government contractor. In 2009, Rob relocated to South Riding, VA with Deb Kelly, his loving partner and wife of the past 15+ years. During his time in South Riding, he became stepfather to Alex and Matt Rubio, discovering the distinct joys of being their stepparent, including helping with driving lessons and being their biggest fan at countless sports events.

In South Riding, he fostered friendships with his neighbors that would prove to withstand distance and time. From fishing trips, to cruises, to poker nights, to golf trips, to costume parties - the good times Rob had with his group of friends are what kept him so young at heart.

In 2020, Deb and Rob fulfilled a lifelong dream of building their dream home out in Colorado Springs. Proving that they really are the best neighbors, Rob and Deb made deep and meaningful friendships with their neighborhood and continued to bring the same level of fun to a different neighborhood.

The last years of Rob’s life were fulfilling and joyful - he spent the last 3 Father’s Day with his daughter, met both of his children’s significant others, saw his son marry an amazing woman (Sam) and achieve his lifelong goal. He spent countless mornings walking the yard of his dream house with his best companion Camo, spent the summer in Laporte fishing and playing pool with his nieces and nephew, enjoyed one of the last weekend’s of his life with his siblings and kids, and continued to travel to new places and have new experiences with his beloved wife.

Known by many names (Bobby, Bob, Rob, Rob-Bob, Uncle Bob, Dad, brother, son), he will be remembered by his wife, Deb Kelly; his children, Delaney (Mike) and Conor (Sam); stepchildren Matt, Alex, (Mindy), his siblings Cliff (Jodi) and Carolyn (Michael), his nieces and nephew Emily, Christian, Julia, and Mia; his mother Carolyn and stepfather Robert; his stepmom Maureen; his cousins Mary Jo, Michael, Tom, John, Will, Jill, and Craig; his in-laws Judy, Jack, Dianna, Jackie, Colleen, Bill, Olivia, Allegra, Jack and Paige and his countless friends.

His family’s wishes are that those that knew him keep him alive through their stories and memories for the years to come.

Rob loved the outdoors and being in nature. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Rob’s honor to one of these charities: Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/">(Nature.org - A World Where People & Nature Thrive), Ocean Conservancy https://oceanconservancy.org/">(Oceanconservancy.org), The Climate Reality Project https://www.climaterealityproject.org/">(ClimateRealityProject.org)