WAKEFIELD — Lieutenant Robert Anthony Ford Sr. went home to be with the Lord, Sunday morning, October 24, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Born on December 3, 1972, he was a lifelong resident of Wakefield, who was married to his high school sweetheart, Michelle (Buckley) for 21 years. He had no greater joy than that of his three children, Robert Jr. (19), Caroline (18) and Michael (15).
A graduate of Wakefield High School, Class of 1993, Rob earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University.
Rob took great pride in everything he did, from displaying the American flag to serving his community on the Wakefield Fire Department. It was his lifelong dream to be a firefighter. This privilege filled him with a great sense of honor.
While cancer may have taken Rob from us too early, it never took his optimism or his Faith. As was true to his nature, he met each day with a smile and, often, a joke or two.
Whether sitting on the beach in Manomet, spending time around a fire pit, watching the Patriots, or skiing with friends and family, it was his positivity, coupled with his warm, inviting nature that left those of us fortunate enough to share time with him, looking forward to our next time together.
In addition to his wife and children, Rob is survived by his parents, Roger and Laurene Ford of Salisbury, MA; his sister, Kimberly Garrant and her husband, Chris Garrant, of Hampton Falls, NH; and his mother-in-law, Bernice Buckley of Wakefield, who loved Rob like a son. He is also survived by his firefighter family, especially those in Local 1478.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Florence Church, 47 Butler Ave., Wakefield on Friday at 10:30 a.m. Those attending the Mass should go directly to church. Interment, Forest Glade Cemetery, Wakefield. Visitation for relatives and friends at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Thursday from 4-8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to either of the following: Dana-Farber Colon Cancer Research, in memory of Lt. Robert Ford at: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284, or via www.dana-farber.org/gift or to an Education Scholarship fund for his children.
