Robert (Bob) Friday passed away on the evening of September 12th at his home in Uncasville, CT at the age of 77 surrounded by his wife and children after a brief battle with lung cancer. He leaves behind seven (7) grandchildren and (1) great granddaughter.
Bob was born in Manchester, CT on September 1, 1944, to Robert and Helen (McGlinn) Friday. He graduated from Manchester High School in 1963 and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During his tenure in the U.S. Army, Bob served overseas on the DMZ in South Korea and in initial stages of the Vietnam conflict. Bob was fortunate to be one of the few survivors of Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 as a member of A Company, 1/5 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. A battle that was chronicled in General Hal Moore’s book, “We Were Soldiers Once…..and Young” and was later made into a 2002 movie with Mel Gibson. After his service in Vietnam, Bob returned to Manchester, CT and married his high school sweetheart, Marion (Jane) Friday, in 1967. The majority of Bob’s professional career was in home improvement sales for such firms as Glidden Paint, Mercury-Excelum, Bishop Manufacturing, Styro and Marjam. He finished his professional career as a Gaming Inspector at Mohegan Sun and retired in 2017.
Bob is survived by his wife of fifty-four years, Jane Friday (Uncasville), his daughter Kimberly Yost (Groton), son Christopher (North Stonington) and daughter Erin McBride (Groton), granddaughter Samantha Buckley (Wallingford), granddaughter Cassandra Hill (Urbana, IL), granddaughter Hannah Phillips (Amherst, MA), grandson Jack Yost (Evanston, IL), grandson Liam Phillips (Groton), grandson Alexander Friday (North Stonington), granddaughter Sophia Friday (North Stonington) and great-granddaughter Amelia (Wallingford), his niece Joanne DiMauro (Middletown), his nephew Joseph Spinali (Middletown) and his faithful black Labrador Retriever Tucker. Bob is predeceased by his sister Carol (Friday) Spinali of Middletown.
Private graveside services and military honors will be conducted at Ft. Shantok in Uncasville, CT on September 24th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Robert J. Friday to Wounded Warrior Project. Please visit www.montvillefuneralhome.com to leave an online tribute or condolence.
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