Robert J. Ducat, 69, of Walpole, died peacefully on Sunday, March 22, 2015 at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Loraine (Lori) Ducat for the past 19 years and the late Donna (Gillman) Ducat.
Born in Charlestown on September 6, 1945, he was the son of the late Melvin H. and Lillian (Bujnowski) Ducat. Mr. Ducat was a resident of Walpole since 1986 and formerly resided in Dayton, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mr. Ducat grew up in Dorchester and graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1963. He attended Tufts University through the ROTC program and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1967. He later earned his Masters Degree in Computer Science from Northeastern University in 1976.
Mr. Ducat was a Vietnam War Air Force veteran and continued to serve for 21 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
He worked as an electrical and software engineer at Raytheon Corp. for 19 years until his retirement in 2005. He had previously worked at SAIC in Ohio and Western Electric in Indiana.
Mr. Ducat volunteered for Meals On Wheels in Walpole and also taught English and math at the Norwood Library. He enjoyed music, traveling and flying at the Norwood Airport.
Besides his wife, he is survived by three daughters, Jennifer Bowman and her husband William III of Framingham, Carolyn Phinney and her husband Christopher of Canton and Elizabeth Yafrate and her husband Nicholas of Hudson and two step-children Susan Reinert of Walpole and Brian Cotter and his wife Caroline of Walpole.
He is also survived by sixteen grandchildren, Samantha, Molly, Emily, William IV, Gregory, Donna, Madelyne, Timothy, Joseph, Anthony, Derek, Brett, Stephanie, Liam, Jack and Meghan and his sister Marjorie Duffy and her husband Ed of Walpole.
He is also survived by his mother-in-law Dorothy Gillman of Cincinnati, Ohio and four brother-in-laws, Fred Lori of Annapolis, Maryland, Richard Lori of Mansfield, Paul Gillman of Phoenix, Arizona and Roger Gillman of Madison, Alabama.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral from the Ginley Funeral Home, 892 Main St. in Walpole (www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com) on Friday, March 27 at 9:15 followed by a funeral Mass at St. Mary Church, 176 Washington St. in East Walpole at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery in South Walpole.
Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 4 – 8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to the Seasons Hospice Foundation, 20 Mall Rd., Suite 450, Burlington, MA 01803 or to Adrienne’s Homecare, 1 Union Place, Suite 201, Dedham, MA 02026.