Robert V. "Bob" Van Wagenen

Friends will be received at the funeral home on Wednesday September  27th from 4-8 PM.

A funeral procession will form on Thursday 10 AM at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 AM at Immaculate Conception Church.

Robert V. "Bob" Van Wagenen, 85, of Kingston passed away peacefully after a brief illness, Thursday, September 21, 2023 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. Born September 5, 1938 in High Falls, he is the son of the late Virgil and Ruth (Freer) Van Wagenen.

For many years Bob and his late wife, MaryAnn were communicants of St. Colman's Catholic Church, East Kingston and most recently Bob attended Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Kingston. They began their married life and raised their sons at St. Peter's Catholic Parish, Kingston where they were very active in both the parish and school.

Bob worked at IBM in Kingston as a main frame assembler and tester. Prior to IBM, he worked at Sears in Kingston as an auto mechanic. In addition, he held many part time positions including assistant manager at Walgreens, school bus driver with Ethan Allen Transportation, and Kingston School District maintenance, and he worked in the produce department at ShopRite during retirement.

Bob was a hardworking, dedicated, and loyal man who was happily generous with his time and talent. As a hands-on and loving grandfather, with great patience, "Grandpa Bob" taught his grandchildren to swim, ride bikes, fish and drive. Up until his recent illness, he was teaching his youngest grandchild to drive. Bob was an avid story teller and in his later years found time to write imaginative stories for all his great-grandchildren. A highly skilled automotive mechanic, Bob was renowned for helping countless friends and family fix their cars in his driveway. After retirement, he could be found tinkering with his old Ford F-150 and hanging out with his best four-legged buddy, "Skipper." He was a lifelong fisherman, and enjoyed the pastime especially with his brothers-in-law Darrell Sorg and the late Richard Butler.

Surviving are his sons, Robert "Bobby" Van Wagenen of Kingston, Raymond and his wife, Tammy Van Wagenen of Rosendale, and Patrick and his wife, Megan Van Wagenen of Kingston; his grandchildren, Coleman, Max and Magdalyn Van Wagenen of Rosendale, Olivia and her husband, Andre Madore of West Gardiner, Maine, Matthew and his wife, Caroline Van Wagenen of Callaway, Florida; great-grandchildren, Cecilia and Galileo Madore, Eva Rose, Jane and Blaise Van Wagenen; his brothers in law, Darrell Sorg and Gerald Schatzel; sisters in law, Agnes Butler, Helene Sorg, Lynn Schatzel and Gloria Schatzel; many nieces and nephews also survive.

He is predeceased by his wife of over sixty years MaryAnn (Schatzel) Van Wagenen, brothers Arthur and Charles Van Wagenen and step brother Walt Bush, and brothers in law Thomas, Donald, Vincent, Henry and George Schatzel, and Richard Butler; sisters in law Jean, June and Marlene Schatzel.