R obert J. Battis, Sr., (Bob), of Marshfield, died August 6, 2020, 4 days shy of his 84th birthday. Bob grew up in Roslindale. At the age of 17, he joined the Marine Corp., and rose to the rank of Staff Sargeant. The motto, "once a Marine, always a Marine" was so true for Bob. He was so proud to say he was a Marine and could always be seen around town with his Marine Corps hat on. In his final days, that hat was placed on his pillow, right next to his head.

Bob married the love of his life, Cecile, shortly after he left the Marines and they soon started a family. Bob was a retired Boston Police Officer, where he was a proud member of the Tactical Patrol Force, as well as a member of the Boston Police Marching Band. While on the force, he received several awards and commendations – one being for recovering the most stolen vehicles and another for stopping a robbery in progress at the local drugstore in Roslindale, when he spotted a man on the roof of the store.

In 1969, Bob and Cecile moved the family to Marshfield. In the early 70's, he started running a couple of miles a day with a few friends. Those 2 miles soon turned into 26 miles and he was then running marathons around New England and New York, including the Boston Marathon. That same group of friends started a running club – The Marshfield Road Runners – which now has over 150 members.

After his retirement from the Boston Police, Bob joined the Coast Guard reserves for several years. He was a huge fan of stock car racing and traveled to many venues to watch the races. When he was a young man, he participated in stock car races at the arena in Norwood. In his later years, Bob became a fixture at The Hop Restaurant in Brant Rock, where they always had a seat for him at breakfast time and he always had a hello for everyone. Above all, he was most proud of his 4 children and 5 grandchildren and would tell everyone about them and their accomplishments. Bob will be sadly missed by all that knew him.

Bob was predeceased in life by his wife, Cecile T. Battis, who passed away 22 years ago. Loving father of Robert J. (Bob) Battis, Jr. and his wife Lisa, of Plymouth, Michelle Bridgewater and her husband, Bill, of Marshfield, Diane Creed and her husband, Tim, of Plymouth and William (Bill) Battis and his wife, Marybeth, of Marshfield. Cherished grandfather of Allison Bridgewater, Ryan Creed, Will Bridgewater, David Creed and Peter Creed.

Due to the current Covid events, services will be private. To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob's memory can be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, by mail to 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at https://www.stjude.org/