Joseph Adelore

Robitaille, Jr

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IN LOVING MEMORY

Joseph Adelore Robitaille, Jr

Oct 05 1943 - Mar 06 2014

On March 6, 2014 Joseph Adelore Robitaille, Jr (Rob) passed away in McKinney,Texas at the age of 70 due to complications arising from emphysema.  Rob was born on October 5, 1943 to Thelma Mae and Joseph Adelore Robitaille, Sr. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he spent his childhood.

As a young child Robby's father often took him on Sunday afternoon car rides, where they would grab an ice-cream cone and sit at the end of the runway watching the airplanes take off and land.  Thus began his childhood dream: to fly.  Coming from a large, middle class family without the resources to send him to college the idea of learning to fly seemed an impossible fantasy.

But Robby was smart, and he had a plan; so, following high school graduation, he joined the US Marines as an enlisted man.  One year later he applied to an officer candidate program, and was accepted into the Naval Academy Prep School where he passed the entrance exam to the US Naval Academy.  He graduated from the Academy on June 7, 1967 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.  He was married to Patricia Ann Murphy in the Naval Academy Chapel the day after graduating, June 8, 1967.

Following graduation the couple lived in Quantico, Virginia while Rob attended basic training and then moved to Laredo, Texas for Air Force flight school where he earned his wings. He trained on two planes, the Phantom F4 and the AV8 Harrier, became a Marine fighter pilot, and served 2 combat tours in Vietnam, with 150 combat missions.

On April 11, 1969 the couple welcomed their first child, Shannon Marie Robitaille (Pierce) and the family embarked on a journey common to military personnel: traveling and experiencing the world.  He earned a Masters degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University during his last squadron station in Yuma, Arizona and afterwards departed the service.

In 1979 Rob embarked on a new career in engineering with Texas Instruments. There he worked as a manager in several capacities including: quality assurance, manufacturing, training & development, organizational effectiveness and ultimately, as Worldwide Customer Service Manager. In time his position with the company brought he and Pat to McKinney, Texas.   A natural leader he inspired confidence and respect from his co-workers. He consistently maintained and modeled integrity, fairness and honesty in the workplace, which earned the trust and admiration of his employees and peers. He retired from TI in 2004 and worked briefly (one year) with Southern Methodist University as the Executive Director of the Advanced Computer Education Center.    

In 1997 Rob and Pat were presented with the opportunity to become parents for the second time.  As he said, “raising an 8 month old baby girl, Zoe Marie Robitaille changed our retired life plans, but we would have it no other way.” Once more he had the chance to become a full time father to a bright, witty, loving girl who filled his heart with love and joy.

Throughout his life Rob enjoyed spending time with family, camping, traveling, playing golf, watching football, reading, and playing games. He was the eternal optimist, funny and kind. He donated his time and experience to the United Way, Odessey of the Mind, Toastmasters, and Women’s Protective Services.

Rob was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Adelore Robitaille, Sr, his mother, Thelma Mae Grisamore Robitaille (Kornbaum), and his sister, Delores Dircks. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Pat Robitaille, two daughters, Shannon Pierce and Zoe Robitaille, and son in law Chad Pierce. He is also survived by three sisters: Yvonne Rathman, Jeanne Vreyens and Dawn Robitaille (Keyser), two grandsons, Ben and Will Pierce and numerous nieces and nephews.      

Memorial Services will be held at Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral home Allen, Texas at 2 pm on Saturday, March 29,2014.

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