Robert Angelo Volpicelli, Sr., 70, of Charlottesville, VA, passed away on June 8, 2024.

Bob, as he was known to his family and friends, was born on May 17, 1954 to Louis and Sylvia (Mihok) Volpicelli in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He attended Nanticoke High School, where he excelled as an athlete. Bob played baseball, basketball, and ran track, but he was mostly known as a standout player on the football field. After high school, Bob was recruited to play football at Lehigh University, graduating from there in 1976. In 1977, he graduated from Northwestern University’s Physical Therapy Program and in the following years received a Masters Degree in Human Resource Administration from the University of Scranton.

Bob worked in Pennsylvania for over 40 years as a healthcare professional. He started his career at the Rehab Institute of Williamsport, then went to Mercy Hospital of Wilkes-Barre, advancing from Chief Physical Therapist to Regional Director of Ambulatory Services. He was also sole proprietor of his own practice, Wyoming Valley Physical Therapy. Toward the end of his career, he provided home healthcare and worked as a therapist in several area nursing homes. His patients universally remember his kindness and conversation.

In spite of his many professional accomplishments, Bob would undoubtedly want to be remembered as a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. He was known to say, “I rate everything from one to ten, and I only focus on the tens.” Bob’s family was always a “ten.” He was married for forty-eight years to his wife, Kathleen (Makowski), whom he met in high school. His support of his two children, Gina and Bob, was unwavering. He coached their teams, practiced sports with them in the backyard, and took them to countless lessons.

After retiring in 2019, Bob and his wife moved to Virginia so that they could be closer to family. Embracing his new home, he took an interest in learning about colonial history. A devoted Northwestern fan, Bob also followed the teams at the University of Virginia and Randolph-Macon College, where his son teaches. He enjoyed traveling with his wife to historical sites, visiting his daughter in Washington, D.C., and making weekly trips to see his granddaughter, Frances, in Richmond, VA.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Rosemary and Joyce Volpicelli. He is survived by his wife Kathleen, Charlottesville; daughter, Gina Volpicelli and her partner, Ben Zoghbi, Washington, D.C.; son Robert Volpicelli, his wife, Hannah Wittwer, and their daughter, Frances, Richmond, VA; brother, Dr. Louis Volpicelli, his wife, Melisa, and their two children Elizabeth and Alexandra, Pacific Palisades, CA.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider a donation in Bob’s memory to the American Heart Association.

For more on services and to share your condolences, visit Hill and Wood Funeral Service.