Robert Pelletier

Robert Alfred Pelletier, age 82, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Bob fought a fearless battle against cancer with the care of his loving wife, Wendie. He will best be remembered as a leader, mentor, father, and husband. His strong will to use his life experiences with adversity to help others truly exemplifies his approach to life. Bob attended various churches throughout his life but at the age of 72 years, he truly came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. In the past decade, he grew markedly in his faith and his passion to help others. Bob used his life experiences with cancer and heart disease to share his knowledge, faith, and strength with others. He took great pride in being a role model to many and sharing the marvels of the heart of God. Bob was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and the eldest of four children. He enlisted in the United States Navy after graduation and blossomed with new experiences involving international travel, education, physical fitness, and leadership. Bob used his French language skills as an interpreter which provided him with memorable assignments and responsibilities. In 1960, Bob joined DuPont and relocated to Newark, Delaware. He worked at the Experimental Station in research and development of electronic components. In 1966, Bob joined Autotote Corporation for the next fifteen years. Autotote was an Australian based manufacturer of data and gaming systems. He truly enjoyed the challenge of a fast growth business and many overseas trips to Europe, Australia and South America. Bob found a kindred spirit in his Australian and German colleagues as he hosted them on many visits. He transitioned from technical to a sales role and always credits his personal development to Toastmaster's International. Bob viewed intuition, negotiation, and strong communication skills as his personal qualities for business success. Bob's second career act was as a Mergers and Acquisitions Intermediary. He greatly enjoyed his seventeen years at Stoltz Reality Company and represented many entrepreneurs to acquire, sell and lease their small businesses and commercial properties. He was most proud of representing many first-generation entrepreneurs from India, China, Mexico, and other countries as he shared an affinity for the underdog who was willing to work hard. Bob continued in his role as a Business Intermediary up until he was 75 years young. After Stoltz, he worked in this capacity at Patterson Woods, Exit Business Resources, and Trevellas Group. In the early 1980s, Bob was co-founder of Delaware's first retail soccer store named World of Soccer. This was a true “Family Business” and consumed most dinner conversations at the Pelletier home. He was proud of the success of this start-up business. Bob also viewed this business as a vehicle for his family to learn first-hand about the demands of running a small business. Bob spent the final chapter of his life mentoring and encouraging young adults. He volunteered at a variety of community and faith-based concerns such as prisons, nursing homes, and children’s hospitals. Bob had a passion for being a Cancer Care Ministry trainer, desiring to teach faith-based principles to families afflicted by cancer. After his personal diagnosis with cancer four years ago, Bob spent a considerable amount of time exploring the areas of alternative cancer treatments and always desired to share his findings with others. Bob was always adventurous and competitive. In his youth he pursued boxing, martial arts, weight lifting, swimming, boating, and motorcycles. He boasted of an amateur boxing bout against Rocky “The Rock from Brockton” Marciano, but this story was never confirmed. In later years, he enjoyed travels in his motor home along with his many boxer dog companions. In his last years, he simply enjoyed sipping coffee while watching and feeding an array of many birds in his back yard. Bob had a remarkable resilience in repeatedly overcoming pain and setbacks. In addition to the death of his parents at a young age, he was preceded in death from cancer by his first two wives, Karina Pollari Pelletier and Brenda Baldwin Pelletier. Bob’s oldest son, Robert Pelletier, died stillborn in 1959. Bob is survived today by his loving wife Wendie Ford Pelletier. He has three adult children including Marc (Kyung Hwa), Jon, and Dan. Bob also is survived by four grandchildren including Reagan, Morgan, Grayson and Liana. Bob’s two younger sisters, Jeannie Kavalowksas and June Solomonson, and eight nieces and nephews all live in the New England region. One nephew in particular, Frank Kavalowskas, shared a special relationship with Bob, as they viewed each other more like father and son. Friends and relatives are invited to attend a Celebration of Life service on Saturday, July 27th at Immanuel Church located at 2414 Pennsylvania Avenue, Wilmington. Visitation will begin at 10:15am, followed by an 11am service.

Robert Pelletier

May 6, 1937 - July 2, 2019

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