Obituary of Robert J. Gagliano

Robert John Gagliano, 60, passed away on March 31, 2018 at home in Warren, New Jersey, surrounded by his wife Lori of 27 years and his loving family after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Robert was born in Jersey City on January 4, 1958. His strength and grit were forged on the streets of Jersey City as was his loving and humorous nature which were nurtured by his extended Italian American family which included his parents the late Rose Marie Scioscia and John Gagliano, his sisters Judy and Cindy, his grandparents Mary Marie and Anthony (Blackie) Scioscia, and his aunts, uncles and cousins who resided within feet of his home in Jersey City. In 1973 his family moved to Union, New Jersey where during his junior year at Union High School he met his two lifelong friends Jerome Petti and Patrick McKee. It was a bond that Robert cherished. In Union he met his devoted wife Lori McCue who lovingly took care of him day and night during his long illness. Robert was a proud graduate of Seton Hall University and an ardent supporter of the Pirates basketball team, the New York Yankees and the New York Football Giants. He was a founder and partner of RTI-IMI, commercial painting and restoration contractors. In the course of his professional career, his companies painted some of the NY-NJ metropolitan area's most iconic structures including the Statue of Liberty, Met Life Stadium, the World Trade Center Tower 1 and the Plaza Hotel. Outgoing and charismatic, Robert devoted himself to his countless friends in his Warren Township community and the many he made in his business relationships including his dear partners Ivan and Eric Sobel. He dedicated his life to the NA Program and the scores of people he met along the way. He was responsible for helping others on their road to recovery. Robert was passionate about so many things. Chief among them were fishing, fast cars and the Jersey Shore. He was a highly skilled fisherman who meticulously tied his own flies and amazed others with his ability to catch incredible numbers of trout and stripers on the fly. Yet he had such respect for the sport and his quarry, that he carefully returned the fish to the stream or the sea. Of all the people he loved, no one had a more special place in his heart than Lori and his children, Jamie and Christopher. He is survived by his wife Lori, daughter Jamie Marie, 20 and son Christopher Robert,14, his sisters, Judy Gagliano DeMarco and her husband A. Peter DeMarco, Jr. and Cindy Anders and her husband Robert Anders, his sister-in-law Michelle McCarthy and her husband James, his mother and father-in-law Mary and Thomas McCue, as well as his aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews that he loved. His humor, his cooking, and his unique ability to give comfort to those most in need will be missed every day. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Robert's memory to Pancreatic Cancer Research and Gift Fund, Columbia University, Gift Systems, Columbia Alumni Center, 622 W. 113th Street, Mail Code 4524, NY, NY 10025, in honor of Gulam A. Manji, M.D. Ph.D. or giftsys@columbia.edu. Visitation will be held at the Higgins Home for Funerals in Watchung, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. A Mass of the Resurrection will be held on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mount, Warren, New Jersey.