Robert Peter Minichiello

Robert Peter Minichiello, age 100, of Blauvelt, NY, died peacefully in his home on December 25, 2023. Born on September 9, 1923, in Boston, Massachusetts, Robert was the son of Carmine and Concetta (née Chirichella) Minichiello. He is survived by his children Constance (and Brent), Antoinette (and Brian), Robert, Francesca, Michael (and Bill), Maria Pia, Charles, and Ginetta, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Mary, his son, John, and eight brothers and sisters. (His beloved older brother Richard passed away on 12/29/2023.) Robert was attending Boston College when he volunteered for the US Army during WWII. He served in the 26th Infantry Division and earned a Purple Heart after being wounded in battle in the Moselle region of France. After his discharge, he returned to Boston College, where he received both his A.B. and Master’s degrees. Because of his experiences in the war, he also began to study and embrace pacifism. “I love my country,” he said, “but I do not love war.” Robert met the love of his life, Mary Silvi, in 1942. They married in 1946 and had nine children. After living in Camp Shanks, they bought the family home on Erie Street in Blauvelt in 1953. It was here that Robert and Mary started a Catholic art mail order business. In 1963, he established Art Education, Inc. Working with a creative cadre of artists and educators, the company produced an art appreciation print program and art textbooks for grades 1-12. The program and books were widely acclaimed and adopted by school boards across the country. After selling the business, he embraced retirement, spending time between his homes in Blauvelt, Long Beach Island, NJ, and Ajijic, Mexico. Robert’s family originally lived in the West End where his father owned the Mass Spa, a general grocery store/restaurant on Cambridge Street. Robert worked behind the counter making frappes and sundaes for the nurses and doctors from Mass General. He learned to sail on the Charles River and play tennis along the same banks, activities he fully enjoyed until he was in his mid-nineties. His life-long love of jazz began when he and several brothers attended Friday-night dances at the Raymor-Plamor Ballroom; his love of classical music was influenced by his oldest brother. As a young boy, and until his death, Robert was a voracious reader of history, politics, poetry, and religion. He was a parishioner of St. Catherine’s Church in Blauvelt since 1948. A devout Catholic, he adopted the teachings of Christ – and those of Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, and Ghandi – as blueprints for how to treat others. He was an intelligent, kind, and generous man with a wide circle of friends from all walks of life. A devoted father and grandfather, he will be dearly missed by his extended family and many friends. A wake will be held on Wednesday, January 3 from 4-7PM. A Mass will be held on Thursday, January 4 at 11AM at Saint Catharine’s Church, Blauvelt, NY. Burial will follow At Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Catholic Worker Movement or South Orangetown Ambulance Vol. Corps.

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Robert Peter Minichiello

September 9, 1923 - December 25, 2023