Robert R. Gajoli

Robert R. Gajoli, age 95, the former Fall River Herald News staff reporter who served as Fall River unit chairman of the Greater Boston Newspaper Guild in the 1970’s died on Monday, October 14, 2024 in the Brockton VA Medical Center.

Born in Fall River to Blanche (Gallant) Gajoli and William J. Gajoli, he married Nancy (Boler) Gajoli in 1976. He had been married to the late former Jean Marie Poirier. He leaves behind one son, Raymond D. Gajoli and his wife Elaine of Fall River. He was the father of the late Robert W. Gajoli.

After primary education in Fall River schools, Robert studied at Rhode Island University.

He started at The Herald News in 1963 covering general assignments. Robert left the paper and returned two years later to cover crime and the courts. He was appointed by The Newspaper Guild to its top position in Fall River and collective bargaining committee after a three-month-long labor strike ended at the paper in 1971.

In 1979, Robert started at the Eagle Point Independent in Oregon as advertising manager and business manager. The weekly paper covered a section of Oregon's sprawling Rogue River Valley, reaching mostly ranchers, farmers, and loggers. While there, he received certification in vocational rehabilitation from the State of Oregon. Two years later, he left the paper for self-employment as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, developing Oregon state-certified return-to-work plans for injured workers in the logging industry.

Robert returned to Fall River in 1987 and earned certification from the Boston Justice Resource Institute in nonviolent physical intervention of violent behavior. He spent a brief time as assistant shift administrator during the startup of the Secure Care Program, a lockdown forensic unit at Taunton State Hospital for court-ordered men who had been found to have a history of violent behavior. He helped them to modify their violent behavior through a structured activities program at the hospital. He later taught nonviolent physical intervention of violent behavior as a volunteer in the staff development division of the John C. Corrigan Mental Health Center in Fall River

He started Gajoli & Associates in Fall River to introduce cost-cutting methods for employers struggling to cope with the high cost of their workers compensation and unemployment compensation programs. He drew from his vocational rehabilitation background for honing methods that reduced worker days lost due to injury. He also represented employers at appeal hearings in workers compensation and unemployment compensation cases.

An avid athlete, Robert began playing competitive sports in grade school then varsity football, baseball and basketball in high school. He was inducted into the Durfee High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. He played for the Washington Senators in its minor league system until a hand injury ended his playing days in 1950. He was a resident instructor at the Ted Williams Baseball Camp in Lakeville from 1969 until 1970 and a coach in Little League Baseball for five years before becoming the assistant to Joseph Lifrak, the then administrator of Little League Baseball's Massachusetts District 7.

He had World War II service as a navy master-at-arms in the closing months of the Japan Occupation and Korean service as an aircrewman.

Robert held life memberships in both the Disabled American Veterans and the National Rifle Association, a supporting membership in the Gun Owners Action League; and past memberships in the Professional Baseball Players Association, and the National Association of Rehabilitation Professionals in the Private Sector

Burial with Military Honors will be held on Monday, November 4, 2024 at 11:00 AM in Berkley Common Cemetery, Berkley, MA. Relatives and friends are invited.