Robert Ralph Goddu
Robert Ralph Goddu, 73, died Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at Tranquility at Kennesaw Mountain in Marietta, GA following complications from a stroke.
He is survived by his daughter Suzanne Ross and her husband Kenneth; his daughter Pamela Palistrant and her husband Perrin; his son Gregory Goddu and Gregory’s wife Elizabeth; his six grandchildren Emily, Alexander, Hannah, Joseph, Jacob, and Joshua; his sister Judith Spooner and her Husband Bradley; and many dear friends and family members across the United States.
Born in Springfield, MA to parents John and Edith Goddu, Bob was raised in Chicopee and Bedford, MA. He was a proud member and Vice President of the Bedford High School Class of 1960, where he was voted Most Popular and was President of the Student Council. He attended St. Francis University in Loretto, PA, graduating in 1964. There he met Lorraine Makos Goddu. They were wed in 1964. Lorraine passed away in January 2006 in Albuquerque, NM.
Bob made a career working in personnel and human resources for several organizations and companies including RCA, Stop & Shop, and other manufacturing and textile companies in New England. In the summer of 1991, he and his family moved to Albuquerque, NM. There he initially worked for Hospital Home Health Care and then ultimately with Presbyterian Hospital where he was a very well respected and liked “HR Dude.”
Bob was a lifelong New England sports fan, a devout Christian, an American history buff, and a connoisseur of Big Band Jazz and Swing. He loved the ocean and nature, his family and friends, and, as his cousin Ralph Sawyer noted, he lived to see the Red Sox win three World Series.
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I appreciate that you put Bob’s obituary in the Albuquerque Journal so his friends here were made aware of the sad news of his death. I work at Presbyterian and Bob was our HR Dude. Bob was very much loved and respected at Presbyterian. He had such a wonderful sense of humor, which I very much appreciated. I went to Bob’s wife Lorraine’s funeral here in Alb and got to meet his wonderful children. He sure was proud of each of them. Rest in peace, Bob. You will not be forgotten.
–Karen Viola
Basketball at the beach house, Newport Jazz Festivals, freezing our feet standing in the snow at the football game before Thanksgiving dinner, the Silverton steam train….. Bob loved dogs but they kept biting him; he also liked climbing trees but fell out several times and broke his arm repeatedly. A great athlete and everyone’s friend !
The Albuquerque balloon festival !
Thank you for the obituary in Albuquerque. Bob was such an amazing person. He was always such a pleasure to work with and defintiely a great “HR Dude”. He was missed when he left Presbyterian and will be missed even more. Because of his honesty and kindness, I stayed working for Presbyterian. He helped me out of a bad fit into an amazing job which turned into a career. I will be forever grateful to him.
I love you too. You are one of the greatest gifts given to us both by our loving Heavenly Father.
See you in Heaven,
Carol