Robert J. Gatti of Highland Mills passed away on November 21, 2024, at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. He was 75 years old. Son of the late Mary (Herring) and Thomas Gatti, he was born on August 6, 1949, in Nyack, NY.
Robert served the United States Army in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 where he received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and the U. S. Army’s Commendation of Honor.
He began his career in recreation for NYSOMRDD at Letchworth Village in 1974 where he met his wife, Rita. He then transferred to the New York State Department of Corrections at Mid-Orange Correctional Facility in Warwick, NY, as a recreation program leader, until his retirement in 2005.
He loved to ski and enjoyed yearly trips with family and friends to the Rocky Mountains, Utah, and throughout the northeast. He was an avid gardener and loved to share vegetables with family and friends. He worked part time as a PSIA ski instructor, and officiated many levels of baseball, softball, and volleyball.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Rita at home; his children Vincent Gatti (Jennifer Murphy) (Newburgh, NY), Meaghan (Matthew) Kamna (Westtown, NY), Erin Gatti-Sisto (New Windsor, NY), and Margaret Gigon (Metropolis, Il.). He leaves behind five grandchildren: Olivia and Maximus Sisto, Nathan and Charlotte Kamna, and one baby girl “on the way.” Robert will also be missed by his sister Patricia Amster of Valley Cottage, NY, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He is predeceased by his parents and his brother-in-law Arnold Amster.
Visitation: Monday, November 25, 2024, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush Inc. Funeral Home, 515 Route 32, Highland Mills, NY.
Funeral Mass: Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, 26 Hunter Street, Highland Mills, NY.
Interment: Orange County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Goshen, NY.
Memorial contributions may be made to: Adaptive Sports Foundation adaptivesportsfoundation.org.
Arrangements were by Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush Funeral Homes Inc., 515 Route 32, Highland Mills, NY.