Robert “Bob” Falconetti, a pioneer in Northeast Florida’s printing industry who helped numerous nonprofits, died Saturday of colon cancer at age 74. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 256 E. Church St.
Mr. Falconetti was chairman of Drummond Press, which has offices in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
“One reason that Drummond Press has been so successful is that he was a man of his word,” said Sheriff John Rutherford. “You met him and instantly liked him. He had that great smile.”
Mr. Falconetti was “incredibly supportive” of his son’s involvement with the Republican Party of Duval County, Rutherford said. His son, John Falconetti, is the party’s former chairman, a state executive board member and is married to Shannon Miller, the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history and an Olympic gold medalist.
“I know Bob as the man who really treasured his family,” said former Mayor John Peyton. “His value for family permeated their family business.”
Mr. Falconetti was a creative force behind the business, John Falconetti said of his father.
What set him apart was that in the early 1970s he pursued the print management services approach, in which Drummond handled the majority of a client’s printing needs while playing a consultation role as well, John Falconetti said.
Mr. Falconetti was born in New York in 1939. After graduating from high school, he served in the Navy. He was discharged in Sanford and attended Stetson University in Deland. He met his wife, Diane Drummond, there. After her graduation, they settled in Jacksonville. Her parents, John and Peaches Drummond, founded Drummond Press in 1939, and he joined the company in the early 1960s. He became president of Drummond around 2000, and business tripled under his leadership.
“Mom called it his silver tongue,” John Falconetti said. “He had such a big heart and cared so passionately about others.”
Adam Hollingsworth, chief of staff for Gov. Rick Scott and a long-time family friend, said Mr. Falconetti brought energy, enthusiasm and a lot of fun to everything he did. He was a gregarious man who loved people and made them feel welcome in his presence, Hollingsworth said. His biggest legacy are his two sons “who learned how to be men from a great man,” he said.
For many years, Drummond has been an important business in the community that has done a lot of pro bono work for charities, Hollingsworth said. The list is an extensive one, he said. He also was a founding member of Westside Rotary Club.
John Falconetti traces his interest in politics to the times when his father would take him to fish fries and cookouts as a child. Rutherford said he gave his son the time to be a political leader and serve as finance chairman for all his campaigns.
In 2006, John Falconetti became president of Drummond Press, and his father chairman. But Mr. Falconetti remained active in the business, even as he battled colon cancer over the last two years.
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/2013-03-25/story/robert-bob-falconetti-chairman-drummond-press-dies-age-74#ixzz2OfLZNkRi
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