Obituary of ROBERT L. MAY

Robert Lucien May, Jr., 86, a resident of West Caldwell, NJ, for over 70 years, died peacefully on Superbowl Sunday, February 7, 2016, in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany, NJ, at the home of Gerald Giambrone and Mary Lynne McDermott, eldest daughter of Robert's late cousin, Natalie (Roberts) McDermott. Jerry and Lynne have cared for their "Uncle Bob" for the past 12 years. Bob suffered a stroke in 2013 and, in late 2015, he developed congestive heart failure from which he succumbed. Born on September 17, 1929, in Daytona Beach, FL, Robert was the only child of Robert Lucien May, a native of Indiantown, IL, and Eloise Alverda Roberts, born in Peckville, PA, where Bob was raised and attended Peckville's No. 1 School with his cousin, Natalie Roberts. Robert spent his summers with his extended family at Handsome Lake in Fleetville, PA, where he developed his love of nature. In the mid-1940s, Robert and his parents moved from Peckville to 58 Johnson Avenue, West Caldwell, NJ. Robert graduated from West Caldwell High School in 1949. After his father died in 1954, Bob lived in the same home with his mother who died in 1988 and his dear maiden aunt, Laura May Roberts, who passed in 2000. Robert was an expert in birds, bugs and butterflies. He worked for 30 years as a mosquito expert and field technician for the Essex County Mosquito Commission. He was a member of the Entomology Society of America (Newark), the Montclair Bird Club, the New Jersey Audubon Society, and the Wild Bird Center Club of West Caldwell. He regularly participated in bird counts in Essex County and Cape May. He also was an avid star gazer. Bob loved to share his knowledge of nature with his friends, fellow birders and young cousins. This shy, white-haired, thin man could often be seen in Verona Park or Hatfield Swamp, studying the local wildlife. Bob also loved music. He participated in his local church music ministry and entertained his family on the piano or by whistling or playing tunes on his large harmonica. His gentle and loving spirit will be greatly missed. Preceding Robert in death were his parents; his second mother, Hulda Amerman, formerly of West Caldwell and Roseland, NJ; and three of his seven first cousins: Robert Edward Miller of Louisville, KY, James Kennedy Roberts and his sister, Natalie Elizabeth (Roberts) McDermott, both of Lake Hiawatha, NJ. Robert May, who remained single, is survived by four first cousins, Gail (Roberts), wife of Thomas J. Knapik in Binghamton, NY; Carol (Roberts), wife of J. Paul Cavataio in Oswego, NY; Lawrence Roberts (Ruth Ann) Van Metre in King of Prussia, PA; and Richard Allen Van Metre in California. "Uncle Bob" will also be remembered by the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of his seven cousins, including Gail Knapik's four O'Connor children; Carol Cavataio's daughter; and.Natalie McDermott's nine children,12 grandchildren and three great grandsons. Lynne and Jerry thank all family members and friends who helped them to care for Bob, including the late Arjun Dhirmalani, M.D., VNA nurse Jackie Millington, our loving health aid Eva Kubiak, Bob's housekeeper Dawn Miller,and his younger cousins, Tracey Belcastro, Jane Contarino and Natalie Contarino. Tribute contributions may be made "in memory of Robert L. May Jr" to the New Jersey Audubon Society at https://community.njaudubon.org/page.aspx?pid=359 with the added comment: "For the preservation of golden-winged warbler habitat" and any acknowledgment sent to the funeral home or to lynne.mcdermott@gmail.com.