Robert Michael Demeo Sr. of Somerville died peacefully on October 7, 2026. He was 96 and had been married 72 years to Margaret E. (Sweeney) Demeo.
He was born on August 6, 1930 in Waltham to Joseph Q. and Filomena I. (DeMarco) Demeo, delivered newspapers, helped in the family restaurant and worked at Cincotta’s Bakery and Mullaney’s Pharmacy as a boy. He attended St. Charles School, never stopped taking classes in electricity and mechanics and became a master electrician, the family’s “Mr. Fix-It.” He served in the Army during the Korean War in communications, including a posting in Japan. He worked for Arc-Less Switch in Watertown and then for the Federal Aviation Administration at Logan Airport, where he helped maintain the runway lighting, and he took part in the restoration of the USS Constitution at the Charlestown Navy Yard, keeping a piece of the ship’s wood as a memento. He organized the annual family picnic, fished, photographed, worked on cars, made his own pizza, played harmonica, drums and spoons, danced, watched every Patriots game and filmed decades of birthdays and gatherings on his home video camera. He and Margaret loved their vacation home in Epsom, N.H.
Besides his wife, he leaves his children, Robert Jr. of Townsend, Bryan of Epsom, N.H., Barry and Linda of Florida, Betty Ann McGovern of Somerville and Beverly Siwik and Jason of Bedford; 11 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; his siblings, Johanne McGinn of Washington and Thomas Demeo and his wife Janice of Waltham; and many nieces and nephews, to whom he was simply “Uncle.” His daughter-in-law Sue and son-in-law Michael McGovern died before him, as did nine of his siblings. The family thanks the staff at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Burial is private at his request. The family suggests donations to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in his name. His own summary of 96 years, his family says, would have been: “You don’t know the half of it.”
Compiled from information published by the funeral home. Photograph courtesy of the family via the funeral home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
