Robert W. Nadolny

The chapters of a remarkable man’s living years closed on Monday, November 24th as Robert William “Bob” Nadolny, 59, of Berlin, CT, who habitually practiced random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty, passed peacefully at home in the presence and within the hearts of those he cherished.

Bob’s memory lives on through his wife Lorri (Colburn) Nadolny. He is survived by his sister Larisa Baillargeon and husband Don of New Britain, CT, brother Alan Nadolny of Berlin, sister Vanessa Geyer of New Britain, sister Bethany Nadolny of New Britain, brother Jonathan Nadolny and wife Erin of Merritt Island, FL, brother Daniel Nadolny and wife Melissa of Atlanta, GA, stepmother Theresa Nadolny of Southington, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and stepfamily, as well as his two special loves – Sydney & Avery Smith. He was predeceased by his parents, Richard J. Nadolny and Kayloy (née Apruzese) Nadolny, brother Steven Nadolny, brother-in-law Bradford Geyer, and brother-in-law John Angelillo.

Born April 15th, 1966, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Bob was the first of eight children born to Richard and Kay and was raised in New Britain. His childhood was joyful, loud, and occasionally chaotic, but Bob’s busy role as a big brother to so many shaped the person he became: present, thoughtful, selfless, loving – a safe harbor of a man who was implicitly trusted and depended upon. Bob learned to put others before himself and committed the full light of his soul to living that example.

He was an exceptional student throughout his life, graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain, and earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Central Connecticut State University in 1990, graduating magna cum laude.

Bob met his wife, Lorri, in 1994 and spent the next 30 years building a beautiful life with her in Berlin, creating and always improving an inviting living space and verdant landscape in which humans and pets alike could relax, converse, and admire the natural world. Whether entertaining family and friends, or toting nieces and nephews around the yard with the tractor, Bob and Lorri’s home was always a place of love, comfort, and mirth.

Bob was a gifted athlete, playing numerous sports in his youth but eventually narrowing his focus to golf, a love he inherited from his father and grandfathers. He had a colossal drive, a deft short and putting game, and, rare among golfers, never cheated. Bob won the Bill Hart Junior Tournament at Stanley Golf Course in New Britain during his teens and remained an enthusiastic golfer throughout his life.

Bob loved traditions and holidays, never failing to send birthday or anniversary cards to family and friends.

He was a skilled writer with impeccable penmanship, a voracious reader, a lover of history, art, literature, math, meditation, and the teachings of the Three Stooges. Through philosophy (a subject he once taught), Bob explored the known and unknown of humankind, life, death, and the beyond.

He loved music from simple to complex, from gentle to bombastic, so long as it was a sincere expression from the performer’s soul. For Bob, music reflected the immense beauty and mystery of life, bringing the listener closer to understanding one’s place among the cosmos, and demonstrating that our ability to love and to make the lives of those we love a little lighter and brighter is both our strength and our purpose as human beings.

An enormously bright and funny man, a dutiful, respected, inspiring figure, and a warm, generous, reflective soul who undoubtedly made the world a little lighter and brighter has passed – but his music plays on within all who had the honor of knowing him.

Though I know I'll never lose affection for people and things that went before I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life, I love you more

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s memory may be made to ALS United Connecticut, 4 Oxford Road, Suite E4, Milford, CT 06460 (https://alsunitedct.org/).

A Celebration of Bob’s life will be held a later date. Plantsville Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the arrangements. For online condolences, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.