Robert J. Sutherland, 89, of Palm Harbor, FL passed away February 14, 2016.
Funeral service will be held at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, 2757 Alderman Rd. in Palm Harbor, FL at 11:30 AM, Monday, February 29, 2016 with Father Paul Kochu, celebrant. The family will receive friends at the church from 11:00 AM until Mass begins at 11:30 AM. A one hour reception will follow at the church. A graveside service with full military honors will be presented by the US Navy and Pinellas County Veterans Council at 2:15 PM at Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines, FL. Following the graveside service, Robert will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Betty, who passed away in 2010.
Robert James Sutherland was born on November 12, 1926 in Worcester, Massachusetts to Marcellas (Mark) W. and Minna M. (Liberty) Sutherland and passed away at the Suncoast Hospice in Palm Harbor, Florida on February 14, 2016, with his family at his bedside. He was raised in Worcester and at the age of 17, Robert was featured in the newspaper as the “Youngest Chef in Worcester County”. At 18, he enlisted in the US Navy, where he was trained in torpedo motoring and was the US Navy Head Chef. He served his country for 8 years before being honorably discharged. He went on to become a restaurant entrepreneur, building a chain of take-out restaurants featuring fish and chips which became so successful that he was publicized as “The King of Fish and Chips” in the Worcester newspaper. Known for his sense of humor, Robert loved telling jokes. His favorite hobbies included fishing, square dancing with his wife, Betty, playing cards, billiards and tinkering in his workshop. He was a skilled carpenter and handyman who constructed his own home in Shrewsbury and was always willing to lend a hand to family and friends with various home improvement jobs. Robert married his high school sweetheart, Betty and was a devoted and loving husband for over 60 years. He and Betty settled in Florida, which became their final resting place.
Predeceased in death by his parents and his wife, Robert is survived by his loving family: his daughters; Donna Frey and her husband, Robert of Largo, Florida and Linda Mariano and her husband, Gary of Palm Harbor, Florida; a brother, David Sutherland and his wife, Jane of Framingham, Massachusetts; nine grandchildren: Christine, Lisa, Michelle, and Rachel Mariano, Michael Materazzi and his wife Nannette, Lianne Riley and her husband, Kevin, Jeffrey Solomon, Steven Solomon and his wife Amy, Jody Gaucher and her husband Mike, and great grandchildren, Juliana Materazzi, Sarah and Daniel Solomon, Nikki and Kaci Gaucher.
Please send all floral arrangements directly to the church prior to the beginning of the visitation.
Friends and family are invited to sign Robert’s guestbook below and share a memory.
Linda,
Sorry to hear about your Dad…Our thoughts and prayers are with you…Lil
Sending you much love and hugs. So sorry for your loss
God bless Robert. Love & prayers to his beautiful family.
So sorry for your loss. You father was a very special person. I have very fond memories of him growing up back in Massachusetts both at his home and at the restaurants that he owned. Those memories will stay with me for the rest of my life. May they both rest in peace and finally be reunited in love. Peace and prayers to you all.
Donna and family I am so sorry for your loss. Keeping you in prayer through this difficult time. May God comfort you with all the memories you share. All my love,
Robert was a very special person who just cared about everyone who was a part of his life. I worked for him for several years and he always was good to me and everyone who worked for him. I also knew your Mom very well and she also was a beautiful person. He will be sadly missed for a very long time. May God bless him and may he rest in peace. My condolences to all of his family
He was one of the best persons I have ever known. I enjoyed working for him as did everyone else did that worked for him. He was a very generous man and a lot of fun to be around. My condolences to all of you and we know he will be in good hands and will see the love of his life once again.
I worked for Robert for 22 years. He was a very generous and caring Guy. Ready to help any friend in need. He will be greatly missed.With deepest sympathy to Linda, Donna and all the family. The Busha Family.
So sorry to here of Bobs Passing
He was an inspiration to me also, as I was in the Fish Buisness as he for many years
Ron LaFlash
My dear friend Donna ,,, Hugs, love, and prayers for you and your family. May God in all His mercy grant you peace, comfort, and strength at this most difficult time. May your dad rest in peace with the love of his life in the arms of our savior, Jesus Christ. With our deepest sympathies, Love, Marie and Hank
I had the pleasure of sitting with Bob at 4:00 clock mass on Saturday’s at St. Luke’s for many years. He was a joy to be around and I loved his jokes and always present sense of humor. He was a very kind and caring person. I will miss you my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
May he rest in peace. I was one of many he came forward to help.
Remembering great times we had together. Square Dancing in Montreal, and the Catskills in New York. Trips visiting you in Florida. Betty and Ann talks at our store in Northboro. Knitting. Going to get fish with lobster sauce. Afterparties at one of his restaurants. Parties in Shrewsbury. Square dance workshops. Miss you.
Dear Donna and Linda, and family, I hope you do receive this message. It is Dec 12, 2017, and I just read your dad;s obituary for the first time. I had not spoken to him for a few years, and had not realized he had passed away. He and your sweet mom, Betty, were very dear friends of my parents, Sol and Tootsie Tash. They loved each other as family, and over the years I watched as both our dads took such wonderful care of their wives, who both had dementia for years. Please know how sorry I am that Betty and Bob have passed. they were truly unique and beautiful people. I will always remember them with love. Carol Tash Snider, Framingham, Mass.
Grampa, I love you and I miss you. I would say rest easy but it was never your style. Instead I say fix that drawer, repair that leak and when you are done go fishing and hook a blues off Plum Island. But most importantly, return to Betty and give her a big hug and a kiss. Give her a twirl on the dance floor and tell her you love her and let your heart be filled when she says I love you too in return. Know that your family back here on earth misses you, remembers you, and loves you both. Till we meet again…