Robert Babuka of Vestal, NY was born on June 8th, 1933 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and passed away at the age of 89 on October 25th, 2022 after battling cancer for many years. The fifth of eight brothers, he is predeceased by his parents, John and Catherine Babuka, and brothers, Bill, John, George, and Edward. He is survived by the love of life and wife of 63 years, Joyce, brothers Michael (Jackie), Peter and Paul Babuka, children Diane (Mike) Haley, Jeanne (Kevin Renauer) Babuka, David Babuka, Susan (Ken Sedlund) Babuka, and 6 grandchildren (Haley, Brian, Terry, Amy, Nicholas and Taylor).
Robert grew up in Endicott, NY. He completed his education at Broome Community College and was a veteran of the US Army and National Guard. Robert worked at IBM as an Advisory Engineer, receiving many awards and holding several patents by the time of his retirement. After retiring from IBM, he continued to work as a consultant for several start-up companies. Everyone who knew him knew he had a brilliant mind and was a gifted inventor. He was a true “jack of all trades” who could do anything he set his mind to or fix anything that was broken. He had an inspired vision to invent a better way to do everything.
Robert and Joyce met in 1957 at the Pig Stand restaurant and he stole her heart. Both were working at IBM at the time and they were married by 1959. They enjoyed dancing and music. Joyce would sing in perfect key, and Bob — after teaching himself to play guitar and harmonica — would accompany her. Later, they raised their four children in Vestal and created many happy memories along the way. Hunting, fishing, boating and spending time on the water brought great joy to Robert.
Robert built his first home with the help of his brothers and family. Over the years, he kept busy with many creative projects. In the 1950’s he built a fishing boat in the basement of his family home, only to find it wouldn’t fit out of the door. His brothers would never let him forget having to knock down the wall to get it out. In the 1960’s, he built a Piper J3C airplane and thoroughly enjoyed flying it. He would taxi out of the driveway (taking care not to hit the mailbox) and take off and land in the fields across from their house. He crafted a canoe from cedar planks and even fashioned his own 1970’s version of an e-bike powered by a car battery. He was skilled at wood carving and enjoyed sketching and painting.
Robert additionally enjoyed golfing, archery, bowling, and hunting. He and Joyce traveled the country in an RV, visiting their children on both coasts. They spent summers with family and friends on Sandy Pond in Pulaski, NY and many winters in Florida and North Myrtle Beach.
He never missed the opportunity to make us laugh and most have some fond memory of his antics. He came to dinner one evening with only the right side of his moustache shaved completely off, spoke to each person individually, and patiently waited for anyone to notice, though no one did.
Robert was a truly loving, moral, caring, clever, and exceptional man who will be sadly missed by his family and friends. Robert conveyed his feelings for his wife Joyce, saying she was an "angel" and shared the undisputable belief that her loving care added years to his life as well as happiness to each day.
The family will receive friends at the Pucedo Funeral Home on Monday, October 31st at noon with a memorial service at 1pm. Immediately following, the family will proceed to St. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery for burial.
Please Leave A Comment For The Guest Book Below
