Robert Abramson
Stonington — Robert Y. Abramson, 89, a 30-year resident of Stonington, husband of 66 years to Mary Margaret “Peggy” (McKay) Abramson, died Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, at home with his beloved wife at his side.
Born in Paterson, N.J., Bob was the son of the late Youngs Abramson of Hawthorne, N.J., and Ruth Magen of Stuart, Fla. He attended local schools in Paterson and was a graduate of East Side High School. Bob met Peg in 1947 while taking photographs for her high school graduation. In 1949 he graduated from college obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the former Newark College of Engineering (now the NJ Institute of Technology).
Bob served in the Korean War with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a second lieutenant. One of his final responsibilities during the war was to pave the road to the peace village in Panmunjom. He was honorably discharged in 1953. Following his service, Bob remained close with his Army buddies who became lifelong friends and organized many Officer Candidate School reunions.
He started his family in Paterson, N.J., eventually moving them to Upper Saddle River, N.J., where he designed and built the house he and Peggy lived in until 1987 before relocating to Stonington.
Bob owned a small engineering firm; some of his products included portable batting cages built for both the N.Y. Yankees and N.Y. Mets and surveying towers for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. He eventually took a position with the Wyman-Gordon Corporation (formerly Arwood Corp), retiring after 20 years as engineering facilities manager for their Groton plant.
He and his family enjoyed many hiking and camping trips. His grandchildren loved to visit their grandparents in Stonington. He and Peg took them on numerous vacation adventures, often by train, both inside and outside the country.
During his years in Stonington, Bob was active in the community, serving a term as president of the Village Improvement Association where he oversaw the construction of the Stonington Borough playground and ran the Build-a-Boat program for local children. He later was instrumental in renovating Cannon Square and helped to found the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club. He and Peg also did crash boat duty for the Wednesday night sailing races for several years.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his five children, Janet Gross of Allentown, Pa., Jeffry R. Abramson of Middletown, N.J., Justine Quirk of Rising Sun, Md., Julie Glover of Hampton, N.H. and James Abramson of Clifton, N.J.; two brothers, Laning Abramson of Barnegat, N.J. and Youngs Abramson of Port Charlotte, Fla.; 10 grandchildren, Katie, Shannon, Mathew, Sarah, Patrick, Paul, Josh, Jordan, Maggie and Casey; and seven great-grandchildren.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.