Robert Monroe

East Longmeadow- Robert A. Monroe (Bob) age 84, beloved husband of 63 years to Joan (Wakelee) Monroe, passed away peacefully at his home February 20, 2020. He was born on December 17, 1935 in Waterbury, Connecticut to Arnold and Lela (Forsberg) Monroe and was a resident in the Springfield area for over 60 years. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering and his MBA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Bob and Joan were high school sweethearts, got married while Bob was still a student at Michigan, and had their first child while he finished his degree. The couple then moved to Nassau County on Long Island, and Bob worked in New York for a couple of years. He worked for American Bosch in Springfield for more than 25 years. After leading the company’s relocation to South Carolina, he and Joan decided they wanted to stay in East Longmeadow. He resigned and trained to become a stockbroker, since he was fascinated with investing and financial research. He eventually returned to engineering as a program manager for Hamilton Standard in Farmington and Windsor Locks, from which he retired in 1993.After retirement, Bob and Joan loved to divide their time between Massachusetts and Florida. They would drive to Melbourne Beach or Indialantic, spend the cold New England winter basking in the Florida sunshine, and return to East Longmeadow around Mother’s Day. They had many friends in Florida and enjoyed entertaining visitors to their southern home. In addition to his wife he is survived by two daughters, Barbara Shade (Eric) of Marlborough, MA, and Karen Morgan (Edward) of Seminole, FL; a son Mark Monroe (Sharon) of Louisville, Colorado; five grandchildren, Justin Gamache, Michelle Gamache, Coleen Monroe-Knight, Delaney Monroe, Jake Monroe; 2 great grandchildren, Gabriel Gamache, Amelia Ortiz; along with extended family members. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 5:00PM to 7:00PM at the Forastiere Smith Funeral Home, 220 N. Main St, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice. www.forastiere.com