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Robert Leo Thomas "Bob" Byrnes went to Heaven December 5, 2020, just 16 days shy of his 96th birthday (born December 21, 1924).
He was born in River Rouge, MI to Leo Byrnes and Helen (St. Amant). He was preceded in death by all of his siblings: Virginia (William) Zupan, Mary (Francis) Martin, Jane (Joseph) Milosch, Shirley (Joseph) Abdo, Patrick (Marie [dec.] and Roberta), and Terrance (Diane).
The family moved to a house on Belleville Lake where he attended Belleville HS and, as quarterback, led the 1941 team to a State Championship and was named "All-State Quarterback.". He also played basketball, hockey, and baseball.
Bob enlisted in the US Navy in 1942 at the age of 17. He served primarily as a diver on the USS Teton and USS Clark during the Asiatic-Pacific Victory and Philippine Liberation until his separation in January 1946 where he obtained the rank of Quartermaster 3rd Class Petty Officer.
After the war, he attended Wayne State Univ. and achieved a BS in Chemistry and MA in Education. He was a teacher and early union organizer in Detroit Public Schools for 30 years, retiring in 1980.
Bob was married to the love of his life, Helen Pytleski, from 1948 until her early death in 1980. Together, in Clawson and Dearborn, they raised 7 children: Tom (Jan), Tim (Christine, dec.), Dan, Therese (Gerard) Shaw, Eileen (Farrell) Palazzolo, Pat (Laura), and Rob (Kathleen). He was blessed with 16 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Bob instilled in his family a strong faith, an Irish sense of humor and silliness, good table manners, love of reading and sports, and proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar. He was a wonderful role model, a bit opinionated, and a "soldier for Christ."
There will be a private funeral Mass in New Mexico this week and a memorial and inurnment with a proper Irish wake in Phoenix when it is safe to travel and mingle.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen (cskdetroit.org) or a charity of your choice.
Commentaire
Il était le fils d'Helen St. Amant et de Leo Byrnes; le petit-fils de Francis St-Amand et de Virginia Elisabeth Labadie; l'arrière-petit-fils de Juste St-Amand et de Marie Gamache. Il est un descendant de Michel Lebrette dit St-Amand.
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