Dr. Robert Staab

Dr. Robert James Staab, 71, of Old Lyme, CT passed away on July 29th, 2022, surrounded by family. The funeral will be held at Christ the King Church in Old Lyme, CT on Thursday August 4th, 2022 at 11am. Reception to follow.

Known affectionately as “Dr. Bob”, he was born in Roselle, NJ on September 18th, 1950. He married his high school sweetheart, Susan Hornyak on July 29th, 1972. They were married for exactly 50 years to the day and had four children together. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Robert (Kathleen), Katherine, Christopher (Erin), and Stephanie, his grandchildren, James, Sean, Jackson, Ronan, and Cooper as well as his siblings, Ed, John, Tom, and Donna, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He earned graduate degrees from St. John’s University and Fairleigh Dickinson as well as a bachelor’s degree in biology from his beloved alma mater, Boston College.

His profession was his true calling in life. He founded his own company, Regulatory and Technical Associates (RTA), and worked as a regulatory consultant to many pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetic, food, and chemical companies. He had several patents in the field of drug delivery and chaired three investigational review boards, including most notably, the Allendale Investigational Review Board (AIRB) since 1990.

He rarely took a day off and was notorious for going on vacation with a printer and a ream of paper in his suitcase. He often remarked that he would work until the day he died, a promise he kept, bringing his laptop to the hospital, and answering emails from there. His clients and colleagues will remember him as endlessly devoted to their projects.

The other great passion of his life was his faith. A devout Catholic, he attended mass daily and volunteered with many ministries over the years including the Right of Christian Initiation. He was invested as a Knight of Malta in 2010 and served the organization proudly with his wife.

He was an excellent chef who enjoyed making elaborate meals for the people he loved. His home was always open to everyone: family, friends, and friends of friends.

An uncompromising man, he had a great sense of humor and a few surprising soft spots. In particular: dogs, the Sea Scouts (a young person’s maritime association), vanilla ice cream with a chocolate bonnet on top, and his pet turtles and exotic fish. He could be found cruising the Connecticut River in his 1966 Betram Moppie “Blue Chip” from April to November. He enjoyed swimming, or rather floating, in the pool with a drink in his hand.

Ever to Excel.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Sea Dart II Inc (mailing address: Sea Scout Ship 228, c/o Skipper Jimmy Zatwarnicki, 829 Willow Ave Apt 1, Hoboken, NJ 07030).