Robert R. Fitch Of Westhampton Dies September 17

Robert R. Fitch of Westhampton died at Peconic Bay Medical Center on September 17, 2017. He was 96.

Born in Brooklyn on March 31, 1921, to Clayton Fitch and Elizabeth Lambert, he was raised in Glendale and summered in Noank, Connecticut.

After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He fought in World War II in the Pacific and was in the first wave to hit the beach at Bougainville. He became a rifle squad leader because of his expertise in marksmanship, was wounded and received the Purple Heart.

After his discharge, he was a merchant seaman, working on tugboats in New York Harbor, and later became operations manager at Red Star Towing and Transportation until his retirement.

He was married for 44 years to Leona Engelbosch, who predeceased him in 1989. They raised two children in Massapequa.

After retiring, he moved to Remsenburg. He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed boating, ballroom dancing, and traveling, especially cruising including three world cruises.

Mr. Fitch is survived by his partner of 25 years, Joan Engelbosch; his children, Robert Fitch and Patricia Tracey; daughter-in-law Kate Fitch; grandchildren, Maureen, Robert, Taylor and Rita; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass will be held on September 30, at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Quiogue, followed by a ceremony at Westhampton Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Werner Rothwell Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach.

Memorial donations may be made to Palliative Care, Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead, New York, 11901.