Robert Giambelluca

"Mr. G" Of Tonawanda, entered into rest April 22, 2010, 83 years young. Robert passed away peacefully in his sleep and went to be with his Lord and Savior and to reunite with his beloved wife, Josephine, and his late son, Felix, who was their "angel" above. Their love will live on in heaven as they continue to love and guide their family as they always have. Loving father to the late Felix, Judy Sharkey, Robert N. (Susan) Giambelluca, Joani (Anthony) Cartone. His wisdom and guidance will live on in his grandchildren, Misti (Bob) McNulty, Nicholas, Michael (Melanie), Christopher, Morgan, Jennifer and great-grandchild, Kayli. Bob was the 11th of 12 siblings with the last surviving being his brother Steve and sister Elizabeth Lombard of Buffalo. The G's have countless nieces, nephews and friends who they loved as much as their own. A native of Buffalo, Bob enlisted in the Navy as soon as he turned 17 years old. Within four days, he was shipped to Sampson Naval Base in central New York to begin basic training, a rite of passage shared by four of his older brothers. "We all wanted to go to Italy so we could see our relatives, but it never worked out that way." Military service was a source of pride as seen by a framed photo hanging in his room at the nursing home that shows him and his four older brothers who also served. Joseph was in the Army, Bill was in the Air Force, Ed was in the Navy and Charles became a lieutenant and Army psychologist at Fort Slocum, near New York City. The USS Gustafson was decommissioned in 1946, and Bob opted to return home rather than embark upon a military career. Within a year or so, an old friend recruited him to work as a truck driver for the Courier Express. During his 36 year career at the Courier he worked his way up to become the paper's circulation director, and then took a similar post with USA Today after the Courier folded September 19, 1982 until his retirement. Also hanging over his bed is a framed copy of the final edition of the Buffalo-Courier Express, for which he worked for 36 years. "I never dreamed of being a newspaper man, but once I started doing it, I loved it," said Bob who earned $45 a week when he left a job at a local cleaner to drive newspaper trucks. The relationships he made in the newspaper industry spanned the world reaching as far away as Japan. Josephine became the love of his life when he returned from the Navy. They married in 1947 and raised four children together. Living on the west side and then east side of Buffalo finally settling in the Town of Tonawanda until her death in 2008, after which time he decided to move into Elderwood Care Facility at Wedgewood. Bob spent his days swapping stories with Elderwood residents and visitors. Bob became an unofficial "ambassador" to Elderwood as they would bring perspective residents into his room because of his awesome, positive outlook on life and his room's homey atmosphere where the walls were lined by many pictures of family and friends. The smile that he wore while in his recliner and sharing his stories served to prove that he enjoyed every minute of life. "I make friends easily," he said. "My dad used to say, 'Make a friend a day, and you'll have 365 friends at the end of the year.' I'm a guy who likes to remember old friends."