Robert Varieur

Bob was born on November 6, 1957 in the Bronx to Robert S. and Mary (Cassidy) Varieur. He was the eldest of three children. Bob attended Cardinal Hayes High School and became involved in the police auxiliary in the Bronx at sixteen under the guidance of his uncle Ed Cassidy. The auxiliary set him on the path to a 25-year career as a police officer.

Bob started his career in the Bronx in the 48th precinct, then the Bronx Task Force, then NSU 8. As he advanced through the ranks, he moved into Manhattan North, where he worked in the 30th, 20th, and 33rd precincts. At any rank, he never asked anyone to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself. He retired from the NYPD as a Deputy Inspector in 2003 and started a mobile automotive services business that kept him strong and active in retirement. Bob loved to work–he pulled long hours and was always focused on the next goal.

He met Peggy McGoldrick, a fellow police officer, in 1986, and they married in 1988. Her father jokingly referred to them as Nick and Nora. They raised two children and lived in Rockland throughout their 36-year marriage, eventually splitting time between New York and Florida. Bob was extremely proud of his children and the young adults they became.

Bob remained an active member of the Rockland County Shields, a fraternal police organization, in retirement. In addition, Bob was a member of the Haverstraw Elks and enthusiastically contributed his time to the organization until his death.

On the job and at home, Bob ran the show. He was serious, but never too serious; he taught his cops and his children to work hard, to honor their responsibilities to one another and to other people, and that doing the right thing can be more important than the rules. He was the person you called in a crisis, and he always knew what to do. He was stubborn, and he worked tirelessly to take care of people.

In retirement, Bob was a hobby meteorologist, and the people in his orbit could rely on a daily radar report and the marching orders to go with it. His last conversations were to hurry his wife and the nurses home from the hospital before an impending storm. If he loved you, he was looking out for you, and he loved a lot of people.

In eternity, Bob joins his infant daughter Nicole; his father Robert S.; his aunts and uncles; his father- and mother-in-law (Tom and Margaret McGoldrick), and his brother-in-law John McGoldrick.

He is survived by his beloved wife Peggy; his children Meaghan (Alex) and Bobby, whom he adored; his treasured granddaughters Eleanor and Sloane; his mother Mary; his siblings Michael (Kathy) and Jeanne Shields; his sisters-in-law Alice Ennis (Jim), Nancy McGuigan (Bill) and Michelle McGoldrick; his brother-in-law Danny McGoldrick; and ten nieces and nephews, and their children. They will all think of him when a storm is coming, or when one puzzle piece is missing, or when a tense moment needs a mildly inappropriate joke.

We loved him back, and he will be missed forever.

Visiting will be held on June 23, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and on June 24, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

A graveside service will take place at Gethsemane Cemetery on June 25, 2025, from 10:00 am to 10:15 am.