Robert Joseph Tomaszewski Jr.

Robert Joseph Tomaszewski Jr., 59, of Venus, went to be with the stars Monday, March 9, 2020, surrounded by family and love at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh.

Bob was born Dec. 14, 1960, in Bellevue, PA, the son of Robert J. Tomaszewski Sr. and

Claudia Iseman Tomaszewski, both surviving.

He attended Allegheny College and later transferred to the University of Pittsburgh

where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and theatre arts.

He also received his teaching certification from Pitt and later received a master’s degree in

rehab science from Clarion University.

He was previously married to Debi Vieceli and they had two wonderful sons.

Bob married the true love of his life, Bridget Marie Foy Tomaszewski, on Sept. 6, 2002,

and she survives.

Together, the two immersed themselves into nature and devoted much time to their

love and passion of gardening and being outside surrounded by the woods. They made their

Venus home a place of refuge and often enjoyed many peaceful evenings around a fire, or

walking amongst the trees.

Bob was employed by the Oil City Area School District for 29 years and his dedication to

teaching inspired many students to always be their best and brightest selves. For a time, he was

the president of the Oil City Education Association and negotiated many contracts for the

teacher’s union. He was so proud of his work, and a devoted advocate of education and

teacher’s rights.

He was a former member of the Fryburg Sportsman’s Club, and served as a little league

umpire when his kids were young. He felt at home outside and spent a lot of his free time

hunting and fishing. Bob felt immense pride to pass those skills and traits along to his sons and

later his grandchildren. Many fond family memories were spent visiting Kennywood and

camping at various state parks.

Bob was a proud liberal democrat, spent time on the stage as an actor and often loved

having in-depth talks about theatre. You could almost always find him cruising around in his

beautifully clean Ford truck, listening to Celtic music or a musical soundtrack, and he bled Black

& Gold.  

Bridget and Bob loved traveling and often enjoyed staying in bed & breakfasts when they visited. They spent many happy trips together, including Ireland, Charleston, Maine and New York, antiquing along the way and investigating local history and folklore.

Bob was an intellectual and adored reading, many times finishing a book a day. He’d

never turn down a game of pinochle or badminton, a bowl of ice cream or a new box of

chocolate covered cherries. He was a friend of Bill.

Bob will be so sorely missed by his friends and family who loved him beyond words.

In addition to his parents and wife, he is survived by his sons, Shaun Allen Tomaszewski

and his husband, Christopher Fox and Mark Allen Tomaszewski and his wife, Brittany, all of

Bethel Park; two brothers, John Tomaszewski and his wife, Pam and Dan Tomaszewski, all of

Pittsburgh; and an uncle, Robert Iseman, of Adelaide, Australia.

Also surviving is a nephew, Johnny Tomaszewski of Pittsburgh; a niece, Robyn

Tomaszewski, of Wisconsin; three-grandchildren, Bryson Evan, Myles Joseph and Brityn Gray, all of Bethel Park; and three step-children, Ryan Hess and his wife, Kelley of Washington, PA,

Nicholas Hess of Oil City and Melissa Hess of Hackettstown, New Jersey.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Victor Tomaszewski and his

wife, Anna Pancurak; maternal grandparents, David A. Iseman Jr. and his wife, Catherine Davis;

and an aunt, Kay Schaffer.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 14, at Reinsel Funeral Home in

Oil City, with the Rev. Mark Elliston, presiding.

Friends and family will then be received for light refreshments immediately following the

service at Christ Episcopal Church in Oil City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Bob’s honor may be made to the Oil City

Library or the Heritage Society of Oil City.

Online condolences may be sent at www.reinselfuneralhome.com

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