Obituary of Robert J. Maestri

Robert John Maestri, a veteran of the Korean War, passed away after a brief illness on Thursday evening, October 6, 2016. The beloved husband of 48 years of Claire (Scanlan) he was 82 years old. Bob was born, raised and educated in Somerville. He was the son of the late John and Alice Maestri. At the age of 18, Bob enlisted in the United States Air Force serving his country in the Korean Conflict. He was the recipient of the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. Bob was very proud of his service to his country and never missed an opportunity to honor other Veterans by attending the annual Memorial and Veterans Day Celebrations in Burlington and in Stoneham. After the service Bob and his parents bought a restaurant in Amherst, New Hampshire called the Horace Greely Restaurant. Bob loved running the restaurant with his family. It was a tough business but he loved every second of it. He and his father did all the cooking themselves while his mother ran the show out front. Eventually the family had to leave their beloved business due to Bob’s father becoming ill and they moved back to Somerville. Bob loved to dance and it was at the Boston City Club that he would meet his future wife Claire. They married in 1968 and would settle in Somerville where they would raise their two children. They bought a fixer upper on Mountain Avenue in 1973. Bob and Claire worked diligently with the help of many friends and family over the years to make a wonderful home which he was extremely proud of. Bob loved to entertain at his home and his home was always welcome to both family and friends. He was the life of the party with his warm and outgoing personality. He loved to make people laugh. His restaurant past led him to become a wonderful cook. He loved to cook for his family whether it was a Sunday dinner or a Holiday dinner. Bob was a collector of “hats”. He had over 200 hats which were always on display. When a friend or family member was going on a trip, he would always say, “Bring me back a hat”. He had sports hats, funny hats and hats from all over the world. He never left the house without wearing one of the hats and the hat always complimented what was going on that day! Bob was also very athletic and enjoyed running and biking. He loved riding to Revere Beach and back, all around Boston including the Boston Marathon route and at one point when he was working in Bedford he would ride his bike to work daily from Somerville. Bob worked hard to provide for his family. He had a long career as a security guard at Raytheon for 23 years. By day he would work at Raytheon and he always had a second job whether it was bartending or doing landscaping. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his wife and children. Bob was proud to see his two children marry wonderful spouses and he was blessed to see the birth of four grandchildren. In 2002, he and Claire moved to Burlington where he was very fortunate to be part of his grandchildrens’ daily lives. He would often joke about how he ran “Nonno’s daycare”. He also built his own shed in the back yard to house his hat collection and to display all of his wonderful life memories. He loved to sit in his shed, have a drink, talk to his friends and family on the phone while being surrounded by all of momentos of the wonderful life he led. Bob was the beloved husband of 48 years of Claire (Scanlan). Loving father of Laura Pinkham & her husband David of Burlington and Michael Maestri & his wife Christina of Stoneham. Brother of Gina Samaha of VA & her late husband Dr. Francis J. Samaha and the late Dolores Indorato & her late husband Alfred. Proud “Nonno” of Timothy Pinkham, Shawn Pinkham, Emily Maestri & Lauren Maestri. Brother in law of Rose Marie Scanlan, Jean and Ernest Morrison, Eileen McCarthy, and the late Peggy and Cliff Stronach as well as many cherished nieces and nephews. A Memorial Wake will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Thursday, October 13th from 4-8 p.m. A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington on Friday, October 14th at 10 a.m. Relatives & friends respectfully invited to attend. Private burial will be held in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne. In lieu of flowers in honor of Bob’s service to his country the family requests that donations in Bob’s name be made to the Disabled American Veterans, State House, 24 Beacon St., Boston, MA 20133.