Robert Allen McGarr passed away on November 8, 2023 surrounded by the love of his four children and the prayers of the many who knew and loved him. Born on August 14, 1944 in Brighton, Massachusetts, Robert was the second eldest child of the late John Henry McGarr and Mary Ellen McGarr (Hickey). Growing up mainly in Scituate and then in Needham, Massachusetts, Robert had the joy of spending his childhood with four brothers and one sister. He attended and graduated from Needham High School in 1963 and, afterwards, earned a bachelor’s degree from Calvin Coolidge College (now Suffolk University). After college, Robert married his former wife, Ellen Adlington. Robert and Ellen raised their three beloved children, John, Liz and Kate, in New England and then Delaware. Robert was fortunate to have another child, Mary, with his second wife Wendy Tse, who he cherished with all of his heart. Robert was the co-owner and vice president of LuvShoes, a retail shoe company located in Toronto, Canada, which kept him busy travelling throughout the world. A lover of all things Ireland, he was of Irish descent and had the quick wit, an arsenal of stories, the bluest of blue eyes, the palest of pale skin and a red coif of hair to make him fit into any pub in Dublin. He loved cooking, sometimes spending an entire weekend preparing an extravagant meal for his family. Robert is now at peace with his parents, along with his brothers John (“Jack”) McGarr and Allan McGarr. He is survived by his children, John McGarr, Elizabeth McGarr-Emery, Mary McGarr and Katherine McGarr, his only grandchild, Ellie White, his brother Kevin McGarr and sister-in-law Lorraine McGarr (Caporale) and his sister Mary Mulvaney (McGarr) and brother-in-law Brian Mulvaney, along with many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 13, 2023 at the Corleto Latina Family Center at 807 North Union Street, Wilmington, DE from 4:00PM to 6:00PM with a prayer service at 5:30PM. After the services, friends may join the family to share stories of Robert and celebrate his life at the Columbus Inn located at 2216 Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington.
In his memory and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration using the following link: Frontotemporal Degeneration Donation Link or mailing a donation to: AFTD, 2700 Horizon Drive, Suite 120, King of Prussia, PA 19406. If making an online donation, please use kemcgarr@yahoo.com as the recipient’s email so that we may thank you for your donation. More information regarding The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration may be found at: https://www.theaftd.org
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