Obituary for Robert John Witkoski
Robert “Bob” Witkoski, 57, of Southington, CT, passed away on December 7, 2022 at The Hospital of Central CT, New Britain after a nearly three year battle with cancer. He was the husband of Denise Witkoski with whom he shared 36 years of marriage.
Born in Meriden, CT, he was the son of Robert and Beverly (Johnson) Witkoski. He was raised in Southington and as a young man, he enjoyed riding dirt bikes and spending many winters at Mount Southington. He met his wife, Denise, in middle school and graduated from Southington High School in 1983. He then went on to fulfill a life-long career in carpentry. He was self-employed for many years, building homes before becoming the head carpenter at Lake Compounce where he worked until he got sick. He enjoyed his more than 20 years at Lake Compounce, using his master carpentry skills and creativeness to design and build many of the structures that people enjoy today.
All those that knew Bob would tell you how incredibly talented he was; you name it, he could build it. If he wasn’t building something, he was creating a new garden bed, watering his plants making his yard beautiful. He was happy sitting in the sun in his yard, admiring his plants and the beautiful home he built for his family. He loved his big red barn, too, where he welcomed anything with an engine that needed some work. He enjoyed making something old, new again.
Bob also had a great love for the beach. He found peace these past couple of years, sitting on the beach taking in the sunshine with his wife Denise by his side.
Bob was an avid walker on the Southington/Cheshire rails to trails. He met a lot of wonderful people on the trail that became friends to him. No matter the weather, Bob was on that trail. Walking gave him clarity and kept him moving. Seeing familiar faces on the trail brought him joy.
Bob fought hard and gave us all more time with him than we thought we would have; we will be forever grateful for that. He was so incredibly strong, inside and out. He is survived by his wife, Denise; sons Kyle and Shane; daughter, Ericka and her husband Chad and their children Lincoln and Ruby, who called him Papa. He is also survived by his father, Robert; his two sisters Charlene and Christine “Cookie”, and their families; mother-in-law, Betty; brothers-in-law Jamie and Jerry and their families; and sister-in-law, Christine and her family. Besides his family, he is also survived by many wonderful friends, both new and old. Bob was predeceased by his mother, Beverly and his father-in-law, Chet.
A special thanks to all the staff at the Cancer Institute at HOCC, Plainville, the staff at HOCC, New Britain and Hartford Healthcare at home. You helped bring comfort to Bob during some very difficult times and we are so appreciative and grateful for you all.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Cancer Institute at HOCC, 183 North Mountain Road, Suite 202. A celebration of life, under the warm sun, will be held at a later date. The Vincent Funeral Home of Canton is caring for the arrangements. Please visit Bob’s Book of Memories at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online tributes.
Born in Meriden, CT, he was the son of Robert and Beverly (Johnson) Witkoski. He was raised in Southington and as a young man, he enjoyed riding dirt bikes and spending many winters at Mount Southington. He met his wife, Denise, in middle school and graduated from Southington High School in 1983. He then went on to fulfill a life-long career in carpentry. He was self-employed for many years, building homes before becoming the head carpenter at Lake Compounce where he worked until he got sick. He enjoyed his more than 20 years at Lake Compounce, using his master carpentry skills and creativeness to design and build many of the structures that people enjoy today.
All those that knew Bob would tell you how incredibly talented he was; you name it, he could build it. If he wasn’t building something, he was creating a new garden bed, watering his plants making his yard beautiful. He was happy sitting in the sun in his yard, admiring his plants and the beautiful home he built for his family. He loved his big red barn, too, where he welcomed anything with an engine that needed some work. He enjoyed making something old, new again.
Bob also had a great love for the beach. He found peace these past couple of years, sitting on the beach taking in the sunshine with his wife Denise by his side.
Bob was an avid walker on the Southington/Cheshire rails to trails. He met a lot of wonderful people on the trail that became friends to him. No matter the weather, Bob was on that trail. Walking gave him clarity and kept him moving. Seeing familiar faces on the trail brought him joy.
Bob fought hard and gave us all more time with him than we thought we would have; we will be forever grateful for that. He was so incredibly strong, inside and out. He is survived by his wife, Denise; sons Kyle and Shane; daughter, Ericka and her husband Chad and their children Lincoln and Ruby, who called him Papa. He is also survived by his father, Robert; his two sisters Charlene and Christine “Cookie”, and their families; mother-in-law, Betty; brothers-in-law Jamie and Jerry and their families; and sister-in-law, Christine and her family. Besides his family, he is also survived by many wonderful friends, both new and old. Bob was predeceased by his mother, Beverly and his father-in-law, Chet.
A special thanks to all the staff at the Cancer Institute at HOCC, Plainville, the staff at HOCC, New Britain and Hartford Healthcare at home. You helped bring comfort to Bob during some very difficult times and we are so appreciative and grateful for you all.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Cancer Institute at HOCC, 183 North Mountain Road, Suite 202. A celebration of life, under the warm sun, will be held at a later date. The Vincent Funeral Home of Canton is caring for the arrangements. Please visit Bob’s Book of Memories at www.vincentfuneralhome.com