Born in New York on May 18th, 1938, he is predeceased by his parents Anthony J. Coderre and Sabina Coderre (nee Marchese) and his sister Jeanette and brother Anthony. Bob is survived by his wife of almost 53 years, Deanna Coderre (nee DiFolco), brother John, sons Robert (wife Tania) and Thomas (wife Kelly) and his daughter, Theresa (husband BJ). He was blessed with seven grandchildren: Andrew, Emily, Elisabeth, Riley, Daniel, Taylor, and Haidyn as well as eight nieces and nephews.
Born to parents who made it through the Great Depression, he arrived in this world just in time for the rise of World War II. Contrary to popular opinion, he was NOT a Baby Boomer, and he made sure you knew about it. Nonetheless, his childhood was majorly shaped by these events and informed his views on many things later in life.
After graduating from Iona College, Bob enlisted in the United States Navy and was accepted into Officer Candidate School. Post-commissioning, Bob applied for and entered naval flight school at Pensacola, Florida, and became a Naval Aviator. He was assigned to the USS Intrepid as a member of the anti-submarine squadron VS-24, serving during the Cold War. He and his squadron mates saw significant activity during the Cuban Missile Crisis and other humanitarian missions during the early 1960s. After his service, he joined American Airlines and had a long career as a commercial airline pilot, flying a variety of aircraft, and ultimately retiring as a captain in 1998.
A devoted family man, Bob instilled a strong sense of purpose in his children. He taught them how to think critically, to not rush to judgement or anger and to possess a curious eye to understand how things worked. A popular refrain was to “just sit on your hands” and “read the manual!” before jumping into a new project. (Usually closely followed with “Will you hold that light over here where I’m working please??”) But that’s not to say he didn’t have strong opinions, which he would often voice, and loudly!
Bob was a man of many interests including photography, astronomy, electronics, model trains, and home repair to name a few. He taught his children many skills, which went on to influence their choices of careers and hobbies.
Visitation will be at the Goble Funeral Home in Sparta, NJ on Monday, May 3 from 4pm to 8pm with a Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Swartswood (Newton), NJ. on Tuesday, May 4th at 11AM.
In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial donation to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church or your favorite charity.
For your convenience you can contribute to Mt. Carmel by clicking the link below.
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