Obituary for Robert Emmett Curtin
Robert Emmett Curtin, age 86 of Mount Vernon passed away from complications of Parkinson’s disease on December 12, 2021 in his home surrounded by his family.
Robert was born on the 6th of November 1935 in Manhattan to Mae Devereaux Curtin and Maurice Curtin and was baptized at St. Jerome’s Church in the Bronx. He grew up in Edgewater Park in the Bronx until age 12 when he and his mother moved to Mount Vernon, NY after the sudden death of his father. He graduated from AB Davis High School in 1955 and joined the US Navy. He was sworn in as a Mount Vernon Firefighter in 1958. He was called up from the Naval reserves in 1961 to serve on the USS De Long after the invasion of the Bay of Pigs and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1965 he married Barbara E. Olert at St. Frances de Chantal Church in the Bronx and settled in Mount Vernon. They had three children and he earned a bachelor’s degree by attending Mercy College at night while working full time, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Public Safety in 1979 and earning a second degree, a bachelors in Business Administration and Accounting in 1982. He was the founding President of the Westchester Firefighters Emerald Society and a founding member of the society’s bagpipe band playing the drum. Robert marched in the NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade for decades and was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, serving on the NYC parade committee. Robert served 32 years on the fire department retiring as Deputy Chief in 1990. He was a member and past officer of Local #107 of the International Association of Firefighters. He was a past member, and past chairman of the Westchester County Fire Advisory Board and served as the head of the Mount Vernon Fire Prevention Bureau delivering fire safety talks at elementary schools, much to the amusement of his school age children. He took his family camping and every summer was a carefully orchestrated trip to see the country with careful attention to historic site visits, taking them to every state east of the Mississippi River, including a road trip to the Worlds Fair in New Orleans in 1984. He was a world traveler, an explorer, an avid lover of nature, a fisherman, a skilled dancer who won competitions, a skier, gardener, swimmer, chef, a builder, an artist and a flipper of real estate before that became popular on HGTV. He was a peacemaker- his signature advice was “the less said, the sooner mended.” A true first responder, he was cited for his bravery numerous times as a firefighter and as a civilian.
Robert is survived by his three children, Catherine E. Curtin and her husband Robert Hulsmeyer of Bronxville and Sag Harbor; Robert Devereaux Curtin and his wife Caroline Curtin of Mount Vernon; Maura E. Curtin and her husband Charles Zicari of Pelham and two granddaughters, Reese Barbara Zicari and Olivia Devereaux Curtin. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife.
The visitation will be held at Westchester Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 15th 4-8pm and a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Catharine’s Church in Pelham on Thursday, December 16th at 10 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Edgewater Park Volunteer fire department 1 Centre Edgewater Park Drive Bronx, New York 10465. His late father Maurice Curtin proudly served there as a Volunteer fireman.
Robert was born on the 6th of November 1935 in Manhattan to Mae Devereaux Curtin and Maurice Curtin and was baptized at St. Jerome’s Church in the Bronx. He grew up in Edgewater Park in the Bronx until age 12 when he and his mother moved to Mount Vernon, NY after the sudden death of his father. He graduated from AB Davis High School in 1955 and joined the US Navy. He was sworn in as a Mount Vernon Firefighter in 1958. He was called up from the Naval reserves in 1961 to serve on the USS De Long after the invasion of the Bay of Pigs and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1965 he married Barbara E. Olert at St. Frances de Chantal Church in the Bronx and settled in Mount Vernon. They had three children and he earned a bachelor’s degree by attending Mercy College at night while working full time, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Public Safety in 1979 and earning a second degree, a bachelors in Business Administration and Accounting in 1982. He was the founding President of the Westchester Firefighters Emerald Society and a founding member of the society’s bagpipe band playing the drum. Robert marched in the NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade for decades and was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, serving on the NYC parade committee. Robert served 32 years on the fire department retiring as Deputy Chief in 1990. He was a member and past officer of Local #107 of the International Association of Firefighters. He was a past member, and past chairman of the Westchester County Fire Advisory Board and served as the head of the Mount Vernon Fire Prevention Bureau delivering fire safety talks at elementary schools, much to the amusement of his school age children. He took his family camping and every summer was a carefully orchestrated trip to see the country with careful attention to historic site visits, taking them to every state east of the Mississippi River, including a road trip to the Worlds Fair in New Orleans in 1984. He was a world traveler, an explorer, an avid lover of nature, a fisherman, a skilled dancer who won competitions, a skier, gardener, swimmer, chef, a builder, an artist and a flipper of real estate before that became popular on HGTV. He was a peacemaker- his signature advice was “the less said, the sooner mended.” A true first responder, he was cited for his bravery numerous times as a firefighter and as a civilian.
Robert is survived by his three children, Catherine E. Curtin and her husband Robert Hulsmeyer of Bronxville and Sag Harbor; Robert Devereaux Curtin and his wife Caroline Curtin of Mount Vernon; Maura E. Curtin and her husband Charles Zicari of Pelham and two granddaughters, Reese Barbara Zicari and Olivia Devereaux Curtin. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife.
The visitation will be held at Westchester Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 15th 4-8pm and a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Catharine’s Church in Pelham on Thursday, December 16th at 10 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Edgewater Park Volunteer fire department 1 Centre Edgewater Park Drive Bronx, New York 10465. His late father Maurice Curtin proudly served there as a Volunteer fireman.