McGrath, Robert F., 73, of Carver, died March 25, 2011, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, and friend, Robert leaves his wife of 32 years, Mary C. (Roberts) McGrath, sons Barrett and his wife Stacy of Wakefield, Sean and his wife Leslie of Carver, and Douglas and his wife Susan of Snowmass Village, Colorado, and daughter Betsy Mark and her husband William of Marblehead. He is also survived by his sisters Carolyn Lawless and her husband Richard of Walpole and Marie Weyneth and her companion George Imrie of Middleburg, Florida, his cherished grandchildren Molly, Abigail, and Olivia McGrath, Gabriella Mark, and Aidan, Christopher, and Samantha McGrath, his mother-in-law Christine Roberts of Warwick, RI, and sisters-in-law Diane Giese of Portsmouth, NH, Nancibelle Thurrott and her husband Irv of South Windsor, CT, and Patricia Chicklis and her husband Charles of Franklin, MA. He also leaves many nieces and nephews and dear friends. Robert was the former husband of Angela M. McGrath of Holliston.
Born in Boston, Robert was the son of the late Robert P. and Marie (Rotondo) McGrath. He grew up in the Mission Hill area of Boston and graduated from Mission Church High School in 1955. He was known as “Ribsy” to his childhood friends, many of whom were part of his life to the end. He was admired as a talented and dedicated athlete, playing football, baseball, and basketball from his school days into adulthood. Always competitive, he continued playing basketball into his 70’s, rising early in the morning 3 days each week to join the pick-up games at the Brockton YMCA. He also competed in several Senior Olympics in basketball and track.
After high school, Robert enlisted in the Army and served for three years. He had many fond memories of the friends he made during those years and the places where he was stationed: Alaska, Arizona, Germany, and Turkey. Robert had many and varied interests and pursued knowledge and self-improvement throughout his life. He graduated from Suffolk Univ. in 1965 with a B. A. in English and Education. In 1974, he received his M. Ed. from Boston State College in Psychological Counseling, Diagnostic Testing, and Reading. He also did advanced graduate study in Counseling at Northeastern Univ. More recently, he took a variety of courses at Massasoit Community College. In addition to formal training Robert pursued many interests on his own; at the time of his death he was working on playing the piano and learning French.
Robert was a real estate consultant and certified residential real estate appraiser for many years, until his retirement in 2008. In his earlier career he was a real estate and insurance broker, a social worker with the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, child advocate and family therapist at Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston, and director of training and counselor development for the Youth Activities Commission, Boston. Also, he was a Designated Mass. Accredited Assessor and served on the Carver Board of Assessors, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Housing Authority. In his retirement Robert sought to be useful as a volunteer, and he enjoyed helping out at the Middleboro YMCA.
Robert had a life-long love of music, theater, and performance. As a young man he received voice training at the Boston Conservatory of Music and performed as lead singer and master of ceremonies in Boston area nightclubs and weddings and also appeared in two local theater productions. In his later years, he rediscovered the joy of performance beginning with a vocal performance class at Massasoit Community College in 2000. The following year he appeared in the ensemble cast of Aaron Copland’s American folk opera The Tender Land staged by Massasoit Theatre Co. After that, Robert had featured roles in Cabaret as Herr Schultz, also a Massasoit Theatre Co. production, and again in 2005 with the Bristol Theatre Co. in RI; in Guys and Dolls as Arvide Abernathy in 2004 with the Milton Players; and in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Senex in 2007 with Curtain Call Theatre, Braintree. He was a member of the musical comedy revue “Blue Hair Troupe” in 2006 and also worked in various film and television productions and participated in a variety of workshops in improv and film. Most recently he performed in “Some Enchanted Evening” with the Plymouth Theatre Co.
Robert lived joyfully. Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate his life at a Gathering of Remembrance at the Richard Davis Funeral Home, 373 Court St., Plymouth, on Friday evening, April 15th, from 5 to 7 P.M. Please omit flowers; instead memorial donations may be made to your local food pantry or charity of your choice.