Bobbie Ray Vincent

Bob (Bobbie) Ray Vincent, 87, longtime resident of Jupiter, Florida, passed away on October 30th from complications following surgery. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Bernadine Vincent; his sister, June Wilson; his brother-in-law, Curtis Wilson; and his son-in-law, Mike Pellicci. He will be missed terribly by the love of his life, Mary Vincent, with whom he enjoyed 56 years of marriage; his four children, Glenn Vincent, Suzanne Pellicci, Teresa Longfield and Matthew Vincent; their spouses, Laurie Vincent, Jim Longfield, and Holly Vincent; his grandchildren, Grace, Joshua and Sophia Vincent, Michael and Alexander Pellicci, Lily Kate and Nicholas Vincent; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Bob was born in Central City, Kentucky and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He was the valedictorian of his high school class and became the first in his family to go to college when he received a scholarship to the University of Michigan. In college he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and graduated a very proud Wolverine in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with Honors. In 1967, Bob's career brought him to New Orleans where he saw Mary in a bowling alley. They admired each other from afar until one night the league manager needed players to fill in for league members who were unavailable that night. They were married on March 16, 1968, and moved to Connecticut where Bob worked for Pratt & Whitney as an aerospace engineer in the rocket division. They stayed long enough to have four children before the brutal winters encouraged them to move back to New Orleans. In 1977, Pratt & Whitney asked Bob to come to Florida and work in their jet engine division where he would remain until he retired at the age of 62. Bob was a loving husband and a dedicated father. His greatest joy was spending time with his family. Weekends were filled with the children’s activities (sports, scouting events, camping, festivals, etc.) and fishing trips around Jupiter where he always found the most interesting and undiscovered spots for the children to explore nature, which sometimes allowed Mary and him to fish in peace. He loved traveling and made sure the family experienced all the fun places in Florida as well as venturing out of the state in the infamous Plymouth station wagon (ole Betsy). On every wedding anniversary and Valentine’s Day, he sent Mary a dozen red roses. In 1999, Bob entered the retirement phase and surprised everyone with a seamless transition from the working world to traveling extensively across the U.S. and Europe. Their month-long road trips were legendary and he and Mary were able to visit all 50 states culminating with Hawaii in June 2023. As with every life, there were tough times and challenges, but Bob leaned completely on his faith and trust in God and handled life with grace and humor. We miss him tremendously, but know he is in a better place and will have a great seat when the Detroit Lions finally make the Super Bowl. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/seflorida?form=FUNDHYMMBXU) A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, November 11th at 1:00PM, at St. Jude Catholic Church in Tequesta, FL. Burial will directly follow the Funeral Mass at Riverside Memorial Park, in Tequesta, FL, at 2:15PM.

Bobbie Ray Vincent

March 5, 1937 - October 30, 2024