Robert V. Dvorak

Robert V. “Bob” Dvorak, Jr., of Mill Ln. in Saugerties Village, died Wednesday August 16, 2023 at the age of 72, after a long illness. He was surrounded by family, at Health Alliance Hudson Valley in Kingston. He was born on December 10, 1950 in Bay Shore, NY to the late Robert V., Sr., and Dolores Pracny Dvorak Katz. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and enjoyed a long career in the field of electrical engineering.

He worked for many companies, including Faultfinders in Latham, FTS in Stone Ridge, and Cox & Co. in NYC, and was a consultant for several local engineering firms. He is credited with four patents. After “retirement” he designed and developed an educational game to teach vocabulary in foreign languages. Illness prevented him from promoting this product.

Bob was an accomplished pianist, first learning from his father at a young age. He played for numerous productions and concerts in elementary school and high school, winning several awards. While in college, he joined the R.P.I. Players, a student-run theatre and music organization. He began as a rehearsal and show pianist, and eventually became musical director. He participated in the choir at St. Mary’s church, and volunteered there as an accompanist during services and many other events. While daughter Julia attended John A. Coleman Catholic High School, and for many years afterwards, he continued his love for musical theatre by providing accompaniment and musical direction for multiple productions

Robert enjoyed bowling in a few Saugerties leagues, and almost never missed watching a NY Mets baseball game. He created hundreds of limericks for OEDILF, a project dedicated to providing definitions for all words in the Oxford English Dictionary using only that form of poetry. But perhaps best of all, he was known for his puns. He belonged to PUNY, an organization devoted to the art of punning, and his work is published in a number of compilations and collections. He participated in the O. Henry Pun-Off in Austin, TX., and was named Punster of the Year in 2012 for his varied and numerous contributions to the art of the pun.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Bernadette “Bunny” Dvorak; daughter Julia Dvorak, living in Mansfield, MA with her husband Ryan Johnson and partner Brandon Potter; grandson Theodore “Teddy” Johnson and step-grandchildren Abigail “AJ” Potter and Alexandra “Alex” Halwick; sister Anne (James) Palumbo of Latrobe, PA; brother Charles Dvorak of Vietnam; nephew James Palumbo, Jr., niece Jessica (Brian) Peretin and her children, and niece Valerie Palumbo; his in-laws C. Scott Doty (Judi Hendricks), Christopher J. (Patricia) Doty, and Laurel Doty; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was predeceased by his son, Thomas “Tom” Dvorak, in 2015.

His Funeral Procession will form 9:15 AM Monday at the Seamon-Wilsey Funeral Home Inc. in Saugerties, on the corner of John and Lafayette Sts., thence to St. Mary of the Snow RC Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:00 AM. Visitation will be Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Expressions of condolence may be shared with the family at SeamonWilseyFuneralHome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Cancer Society.

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