Obituary of Robert A. Petoia

Robert A. "Bob" Petoia passed away on Sunday April 19, 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. He was 88. Born in Glen Ridge, Bob grew up in East Orange and Belleville. He graduated from Barringer High School in 1949 and married the love of his life Jean (Fisher) in 1951. He proudly served as a US Navy Veteran of the Korean War. After completing his service, Bob pursued a career in electronics. With his entrepreneurial spirit, friendly personality, and magnetic smile, he opened Roberts TV & Appliance stores in West Orange and Parsippany, which he successfully ran for over 35 years. Starting out in West Orange and Bloomfield, he moved to West Caldwell in 1964 to raise his family. Bob was a member and past-President of the West Essex Chapter of Unico and was a member and Deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell. In his "retirement", Bob worked in the electronics department at Walmart in Brick for over 20 years before officially "retiring" at age 83. He served as a past-President of the Laurelton Gardens Co-Operative Association in Brick, NJ, where he lived until returning to West Caldwell in 2017. Surviving are his loving wife of 68 years, Jean (Fisher); his daughter Donna Levenstien and husband Robert of NYC and Hague NY; his son Robert Petoia and wife Caroline of West Caldwell; his son Ron Petoia of Lake Wylie, South Carolina; his 15 grandchildren (Jennifer, Lauren, Michelle, Katie, Michael, Robert, Cabot, Talia, Malynne, Gabriel, Jacob, Jeremiah, Callum and Evangeline); and 3 great grandchildren (Priya, Nola and Ryan). Due to present circumstances, internment at Restland Memorial Park in E. Hanover is private.