Robert D. Shangraw
Robert D. Shangraw, 87, passed peacefully on June 9, 2018, to join his beloved wife of 57 years, M. Janice Shangraw. Born in Port Chester, N.Y., he was the son of Frances Dixon Shangraw and Clayton Charles Shangraw. After graduation from Delbarton School (1948) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1953), Bob and Jan were married in Troy, N.Y. on June 13, 1953, and moved to Norfolk, Va. from where he served in the Korean War aboard the destroyer <i>USS Ault</i> (DD-698).
Upon completion of his military service, he began a lifelong career as a mechanical engineer with United Aircraft Corporation (later United Technologies), retiring in 1992. Bob and Jan raised their family in East Granby, Conn. with enormous energy. He very much enjoyed being in the aerospace industry, which overlapped a family tradition of flying that included both his father and brother.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
Projects he remembered most fondly were the F-111, the XB-70 and the NASA Apollo mission to the moon. He concomitantly served for a long time on the town Board of Education, including a stint as chairman, in the 1960s; Boy Scout Troop 70, for which he was a Scoutmaster in the early 1970s; and the East Granby Planning Commission. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
In 1999, Bob and Jan moved to Sun City Center, Fla. to avoid the harsh New England winters but kept close contact with their New England friends and family by summering in Otis, Mass. Jan predeceased him in January 2011. Bob kept active in many social activities throughout his retirement. For many years he chaired the Gate Island homeowners association in Otis, and chaired his homeowners association in Sun City Center at the time of his death. He loved to sing in his church choir, do woodcarving and work with the “sawdust engineers” in Sun City Center. His scale model of the <i>USS Ault</i>, according to Jan, took longer for him to build than the original warship itself. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
In addition to Jan, Bob was predeceased by his brother Richard, sister Carol Jordan and grandson Adam Cotugno. He is survived by sons Robert (Patricia) of Tualatin, Ore.; Timothy (Janet) of Littleton, Colo.; Michael of Evergreen, Colo.; and daughters Vicki Kvedar (Joseph) of Lynnfield, Mass.; and Kathi Cotugno of Westfield, Mass.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
Grandchildren are David Shangraw (Britta) of Seattle, Wash.; Kirsten Shangraw of Portland, Ore.; Matthew Shangraw of Mission Viejo, Calif.; Emily Zerba (Garrett) of Broomfield, Colo.; Celanire Shangraw of Mission Viejo, Calif; Sarah Shangraw of Denver, Colo.; Derek Kvedar of Las Vegas, Nev.; Joshua Cotugno of Granby, Conn.; Julie Kvedar of Los Angeles, Calif.; Rachel Shangraw of Emeryville, Calif.; Kathleen Shangraw of Portland Ore.; and Megan Kvedar of Sarasota, Fla. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
The wake was at the Sun City Funeral Home on June 18 from 5 to 8 p.m., with a funeral mass at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Sun City Center, Fla. A celebration of his life is forthcoming this summer in Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Robert’s name can be made to the following; Tampa General Hospital Foundation, Tampa, Fla; or Sun City Center Emergency Squad, Sun City Center; or Men’s Club, Sun City Center, Fla.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
Arrangements by Sun City Center Funeral Home, 813-634-9900
Upon completion of his military service, he began a lifelong career as a mechanical engineer with United Aircraft Corporation (later United Technologies), retiring in 1992. Bob and Jan raised their family in East Granby, Conn. with enormous energy. He very much enjoyed being in the aerospace industry, which overlapped a family tradition of flying that included both his father and brother.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
Projects he remembered most fondly were the F-111, the XB-70 and the NASA Apollo mission to the moon. He concomitantly served for a long time on the town Board of Education, including a stint as chairman, in the 1960s; Boy Scout Troop 70, for which he was a Scoutmaster in the early 1970s; and the East Granby Planning Commission. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
In 1999, Bob and Jan moved to Sun City Center, Fla. to avoid the harsh New England winters but kept close contact with their New England friends and family by summering in Otis, Mass. Jan predeceased him in January 2011. Bob kept active in many social activities throughout his retirement. For many years he chaired the Gate Island homeowners association in Otis, and chaired his homeowners association in Sun City Center at the time of his death. He loved to sing in his church choir, do woodcarving and work with the “sawdust engineers” in Sun City Center. His scale model of the <i>USS Ault</i>, according to Jan, took longer for him to build than the original warship itself. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
In addition to Jan, Bob was predeceased by his brother Richard, sister Carol Jordan and grandson Adam Cotugno. He is survived by sons Robert (Patricia) of Tualatin, Ore.; Timothy (Janet) of Littleton, Colo.; Michael of Evergreen, Colo.; and daughters Vicki Kvedar (Joseph) of Lynnfield, Mass.; and Kathi Cotugno of Westfield, Mass.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
Grandchildren are David Shangraw (Britta) of Seattle, Wash.; Kirsten Shangraw of Portland, Ore.; Matthew Shangraw of Mission Viejo, Calif.; Emily Zerba (Garrett) of Broomfield, Colo.; Celanire Shangraw of Mission Viejo, Calif; Sarah Shangraw of Denver, Colo.; Derek Kvedar of Las Vegas, Nev.; Joshua Cotugno of Granby, Conn.; Julie Kvedar of Los Angeles, Calif.; Rachel Shangraw of Emeryville, Calif.; Kathleen Shangraw of Portland Ore.; and Megan Kvedar of Sarasota, Fla. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
The wake was at the Sun City Funeral Home on June 18 from 5 to 8 p.m., with a funeral mass at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Sun City Center, Fla. A celebration of his life is forthcoming this summer in Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Robert’s name can be made to the following; Tampa General Hospital Foundation, Tampa, Fla; or Sun City Center Emergency Squad, Sun City Center; or Men’s Club, Sun City Center, Fla.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
Arrangements by Sun City Center Funeral Home, 813-634-9900