POUGHKEEPSIE – Former Dutchess County Legislator Robert Sears passed away on Tuesday, February 4 at age 94.
Born in Poughkeepsie on November 8, 1925, Sears graduated from Poughkeepsie High School in 1943 and at 17 enlisted in the US Army. He served in the Asian Pacific Campaign as a staff sergeant during World War II.
Upon his return from service, Sears was employed with the Sheet Metal Workers Union #38 from 1952 through 1988, working mostly as a foreman for Shaker, Travis and Quinn in Poughkeepsie.
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro said Sears “Was a dedicated man of service – first to his nation as a member of the United States Army, later to his constituents as a Dutchess County Legislator.”
Molinaro services alongside Sears in the county legislature “where I learned of his deep devotion to his country, his family and his county.”
Sears was a member of the Town of Lagrange Republican Committee.
The county executive said, “Our community is a better place for Bob’s years of service, and we, as a county, extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to his family and the many whose lives he touched throughout his life.”
Calling hours will be on Sunday, February 9 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Miller and Sons Funeral Home in Poughkeepsie. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Martin De Porres Church on Monday, February 10 at 10 a.m. with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery.
