Robert Henry Digulimio

Robert Digulimio was born in Washington, D.C To Joseph Digulimio and Marie Digulimio Booth. Bob forged an 82 year path filled with love, laughter, generosity, compassion and wisdom. His memories sustained him throughout his illness, all the cards and calls were very much appreciated. He is missed greatly by Hilarie, his wife of 58 years, his daughters, Cynthia and Sandra, his brother Raymond and his son in law Mike. All were involved in Bob's care and he appreciated it more then they could know. We have been working on this dedication for a couple of weeks now and it is finally time to put pen to paper and gather our thoughts and memories. We especially wanted everyone to know the father, husband, brother and friend that we knew day in and day out. Hilarie, was his one and only love of his life. They met on a blind date and afterward he went home and told his mother “This is the woman I'm going to marry!” Not long after they found themselves in his parents basement hitched for life. Throughout the 58 years they were together they accumulated lots of memories, mementos, gadgets and lots of junk (relics) now lying around the house. It was a love for the ages. Bob loved the life he lived. If any of us could die with that blessing we would be lucky. Bob grew up in Washington, DC, in the 1950's. Music, football and friends were all a very important part of his life. Bob had a great time. He loved music and always had his reel to reel at the ready to record new tunes from the radio or he would record the guys singing on the street corner. You could hear almost anything flying from the woofers and tweeters in the house or in his car. 50's, 60's, 70's and even a little Prince. He was an all star running back for Suitland high school football team, Go Rams! In 58' he went to college and was an all star until his ankle was broken in a game. This ended his hopes o f becoming a professional football player. Yet, there was so much more of life to live. Bob entered the Navy reserves learning how to code and realized that going underwater in a submarine might not be for him, he entered the U.S. Park Police. Everyone that worked with him should remember his antics. He super-glued pennies to desks, receivers glued to phones, and moving cruisers in the middle of the night so it's owner would be perplexed, befuddled and totally pissed off in the morning. In those days the CB Radio was a big deal and Dad jumped on the band wagon. You could often hear the Lavender Lad breaking in on the airwaves late at night. He was recognized for his service in the U.S. Park Police and retired after 28 years on the force. We all retired to the backwoods of Maryland, somewhere near a undisclosed battlefield, where dad could metal-detect his days away. Not that we were all happy, Cindy recalls saying “There's not a mall anywhere near here.” and “They actually kill and butcher the meat at the back of the store!” Ah, Those were the days. He opened up shop , Battlefield Detectors, and made his hobby a bigger deal then it was suppose to ever be. He never made a dime selling metal detectors or accessories because his generosity and desire to bring the joy of of metal detecting to others superseded any profit motive, or common sense. He initiated many new fools into the metal detecting family. Not a day went by when he wasn't dragging dirt, dust, relics and a new detectorist home. He would go to the ghost farm and hunt for relics and later drag Sandra with him to look for Ghosts. He loved all the junk he dug out of the ground, all legally,y of course. He was always polite to the home owners and always filled in his holes! Bob wasn't much for joining clubs, but he had a group of guys that gathered at Sam's garage every Wednesday night for dinner and good conversation. He always had a smile on his face , a joke on his lips and a relic in his pocket. It should not come as a surprise that the Holidays in our house were special. Halloween was especially his favorite. He loved supervising the decorating of the house and passing out toys to the neighborhood kids all dressed up in their costumes. Of course, we gave out toys instead of candy. No diabetic temptation in this house! Thanksgiving and Christmas held a very special place in his heart. Whether it was Sandra's turkey dinners that reminded him of his mother's cooking, the gathering of extender family and friend's, or the deeply thoughtful gifts he lavished on those he loved. He was always generous and kind to family, friends and strangers. He often paid for peoples groceries or medication while waiting in line. Bob's Final request instead of flowers he would hope that you would do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for someone in honor of his life. Always pay your good fortune forward. Bob had a passion for sports and one of his last wishes was to request six pall bearers from his favorite teams. Three Nationals and Three Redskins . So they can let him down one last time! He did get to cuss and fuss at the first games of this season with his brother Ray at his side. There are so many more stories to tell, He asks that you retell the stories he can no longer tell, and laugh at the the appropriate places! A celebration of Robert Digulimio's life will take place sometime in October. Keep checking the Simplicitycfs.com website for updates' or we will Email or text everyone in his Rolodex. Anyone wearing black will be asked to strip naked, he would have loved that. To a wonderful husband, father, friend, fanatic detectorist may your spirit find new battlefields to detect and treasures to dig on the other side! Please show, your interest in this event , scheduled tentatively for October 30th, 2021 at Shafer Park in Boonsboro, MD by emailing Cindy at cdigulimio@hotmail.com

Robert Henry Digulimio

September 5, 1939 - September 15, 2021