Robert Anthony Iadicicco

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Robert Anthony Iadicicco died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, nine days short of his 88th birthday.

Robert was born to Anthony B. Iadicicco and Anna Cascarino of Philadelphia, Pa. He lost his mother at the tender age of 1 year old. He was raised and loved by his stepmother Vesta Deloreto Iadicicco.

“Bob” was born with an innate sense of curiosity about how things worked. He was once found at the young age of 2 years old disassembling his father’s pocket watch to try and see what made it tick. This curiosity served him well at school. His teacher found the need for Bob to be challenged in his learning and recommended that he skip the third grade and move up to the fourth. After his high school graduation, Bob accepted a job with the Philadelphia Bulletin and became a local branch manager.

Upon his 21st birthday, he enlisted in the Air Force (Staff Sergeant) where he was intrigued to learn about and eventually specialized in the science of radar. After his initial training, he was stationed at Otis Air Force base in Buzzards Bay. While working at Otis he was given the opportunity to be transferred to the mysterious Island of Martha’s Vineyard. He became one of a small group of men, who along with MIT engineers, set up a radar installation atop of Peaked Hill in Chilmark.

Eventually, Bob and his co-workers started to assimilate into the Island life; it was then that he met the love of his life, Connie Frank of Vineyard Haven. The two married in 1957 and moved to Bob’s hometown of Philadelphia, where he had been attending Drexel University, enrolled in the electrical engineering program. Bob graduated from Drexel with his master’s degree in 1961.

After graduation, Bob had a successful career at Philco Ford, where he secured two patents for graded field cathode ray tubes. He then went on to work with Ford in their aerospace division, working with their computer programming department. He ended his work career working for two large law firms in center city Philadelphia as the head of their IT departments.

Bob was very civic-minded and volunteered for many years with such organizations as the East Mt. Airy Neighbors Association, Weaver’s Way Co-operative, S.C.O.R.E (Service Core of Retired Executives), the Oak Bluffs Senior Center as well as the Martha’s Vineyard Wastewater Commission.

He was an avid cribbage and bridge player, but mostly Bob loved his family, his Philadelphia sports teams, and his second home of Martha’s Vineyard, where he and his family would vacation every summer until he and Connie made the permanent move and retired there in 1999.

Bob was predeceased by his brother Anthony. He leaves behind his wife Connie, their children Jeffrey and Terry, his daughter-in-law Chrissy Iadicicco, his son-in-law Timothy Lowe, and his beloved grandchildren Jacqueline, Robert, and Josie Iadicicco. He also leaves behind his sister Dolores and his brother Nicholas Iadicicco.

A memorial service will be held in Oak Bluffs in July 2018.

In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to the Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard.