Obituary of Robert J. Kavanaugh

Duxbury — Robert Joseph Kavanaugh, 79, died February 16, 2017, with his family by his side. Bob leaves behind his dearly loved wife of 46 years, Claire (Blackley) Kavanaugh; son, Andrew Kavanaugh; son, Thomas and wife Megan Kavanaugh, two grandchildren, Peter and Ewan Kavanaugh and daughter, Deirdre Kavanaugh. The second of 13 brothers and sisters, he leaves behind Kenneth and wife Mary Kavanaugh, Edward and wife Kathleen Kavanaugh, Douglas Kavanaugh, Elaine and husband Michael Lang, Marie and husband Frederick Bolwell, Carol Kavanaugh, Stephen and wife Mary Kavanaugh, Kevin and wife Susan Kavanaugh, John and wife Patricia Kavanaugh, the late Howard and wife Joan Kavanaugh, the late Paul and wife Claudia Kavanaugh and the late Patricia (Kavanaugh) Melvin. Born in East Boston and raised in Dorchester, the son of Patrick and Elizabeth (Flynn) Kavanaugh, Bob graduated from Boston Latin School in 1954 and Boston College in 1958 with a Bachelor’s in Accounting. Upon graduation, he joined Arthur Andersen where he spent his entire 38 year career - 19 years in Boston prior to being named the managing partner of the Pittsburgh office. A truly devoted husband, Bob met his wife, Claire, in 1968, and they were married two years later in Crystal Beach, Ontario. In addition to his love of family and his faith, Bob was dedicated to the communities in which he lived. He spent much of his free time in roles volunteering with various organizations in the greater Pittsburgh area including Executive Vice President of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Board of Trustees of Carlow College, and Director of United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. A funeral service will be held at Holy Family Church, 601 Tremont Street, Duxbury, 11 AM, Tuesday, February 21. A visitation will be held at Shepherd Funeral Home, 216 Main Street, Kingston from 4 - 8 PM, Monday, February 20. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047 (https://www.lbda.org/donate).