Family Archive
Bobby — In Photographs
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New York City · August 24, 1952 – October 27, 2017
August 24, 1952 · October 27, 2017 · Manhattan, New York
Veteran. Paratrooper. The man in the black leather jacket who gave the biggest hugs and the crispest hundred dollar bills.
Black leather jacket. Black shirt. Black pants. Dark sunglasses. Looking like either Johnny Cash or the neighborhood thug — but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
Every ChristmasThe Man Himself
Robert Edward Black was born on August 24, 1952 in New York City — son of Melvin Myers Black and Lydia Esther Figueroa, and brother to Linda Maria, born August 30, 1951. He grew up in the Bronx, and New York City was his world from beginning to end.
After his father died, Bobby lived with his grandmother — a woman who anchored his early years until her own passing in the 1980s. He carried those losses quietly, the way he carried most things: without complaint, without drama, and with a steadiness that others leaned on even when they didn't realize it.
He worked for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, a steady career that suited a man who valued consistency and showed up. He wasn't loud about his accomplishments. He just did the work.
Bobby was, by every account, soft spoken, highly intelligent, and a listener of rare quality. He didn't just wait for his turn to talk — he genuinely absorbed every word you said. In a world full of people waiting to speak, Bobby was someone who actually heard you.
He loved to laugh. Once the jokes started flowing, Bobby could barely breathe. He loved to watch his family dance and sing — not joining in himself, but wearing a smile of such pure contentment and joy that his presence in the room was its own kind of music.
"After speaking only a few words to him, you would come to understand just the kind of loving person he was."
— Doreen's Eulogy
Family Archive
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The Things We'll Never Forget
The $100 Christmas Card
Every year, a crisp $100 bill in every Christmas card. He hated shopping for presents — so he gave something better. If yours got thrown out by mistake, you dug through the garbage to find it. If someone took yours by accident — too bad. Hold on tighter next time.
The Biggest Hug
Every time Bobby came through the door, he gave the biggest and tightest hug. The kind that said more than words. The kind you still feel years later. Doreen said she'll miss those hugs above almost everything else.
The Laugh
Once Vinny got warmed up with his jokes, Bobby could hardly breathe from laughing. A full, helpless, beautiful laugh. The kind that fills a room and stays in your memory long after the joke is forgotten.
Holding Mom's Hand
Whenever Bobby came by, he would sit next to his mother and hold her hand. He always thanked her for everything she had done. She always called him "Poppo". A love between a mother and son that needed no audience.
The Veteran Nobody Knew
Few people knew Bobby was a veteran. Toward the end of the Vietnam War, he was called to serve and became a paratrooper in the armed forces — jumping from planes, serving his country, and never once making it anyone else's business.
The Watcher
Bobby didn't jump up to sing or dance — but he loved to watch his family do exactly that. The smile on his face when the music started said everything. He found his joy in theirs. That is its own kind of love.
September 11, 2001
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Bobby emerged from the Manhattan subway and looked up at the World Trade Center. What he saw — and what he carried from that moment forward — marked him deeply.
He described people falling from the Twin Towers. He said they looked like paper clips falling — a description so precise and so haunting that it has never left the people he told it to. He was standing in the street, watching history become catastrophe in real time.
Bobby was impacted by 9/11 in ways that were real and lasting. He never made a spectacle of it. But those who loved him knew it stayed with him — one more weight carried quietly, by a man who had already learned how to carry difficult things.
Born — August 24, 1952, New York City
Parents — Melvin Myers Black & Lydia Esther Figueroa
Sister — Linda Maria Black, born August 30, 1951
Military — U.S. Army Paratrooper, Vietnam-era service
Career — New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
Known for — $100 Christmas cards, the biggest hugs, that laugh
Passed — October 27, 2017, Manhattan, New York
A Life in Brief
As I stand here and remember my beloved brother, Bobby, so many wonderful memories come to mind. I can see him in my mind's eye walking through my mother's apartment door at Christmas time wearing his signature black leather jacket, black shirt, black pants and dark sunglasses looking like either Johnny Cash or the neighborhood thug — but that couldn't be farther from the truth!
After coming through the door, he would give us the biggest and tightest hug. And after speaking only a few words to him, you would come to understand just the kind of loving person he was. He was very soft spoken, highly intelligent, and always listened quietly and thoughtfully to every single word you said.
Unlike the rest of our crazy family, he wouldn't jump up to sing or dance at any song that came on — but he loved to watch us do so. The smile of contentment and joy on his face spoke volumes! And boy, did he love to laugh! Once Vinny got warmed up and going with all of his jokes, Bobby could hardly breathe from laughing so hard!
I'll miss that laugh! I'll miss my hugs! And I'll miss looking around and watching him sit next to my mom, and hold her hand. They loved each other so deeply, and whenever he came by, he would always thank her for everything she had done for him, and she, in turn, would tell him how much she loved him, always calling him "Poppo."
Not only was Bobby loving, he was also unbelievably generous! He didn't have much, but what he did have, he would gladly give. He hated shopping for Christmas presents, so instead, he would always put a crisp $100 dollar bill in everyone's Christmas card. When leaving for the night, you might have forgotten your gloves and hat, or the sweater you received as a present from someone else, but you always made sure you left with Bobby's Christmas card with the $100 dollar bill.
If it got thrown out by accident when cleaning up, you scoured through the garbage to find it! And if you took someone else's envelope by accident, oh well! They should have held on to it more tightly. That was the going joke amongst our family!
Few also knew that he was a veteran and honorably served our country! Toward the tail end of the Vietnam War he was called to serve and was a paratrooper in the armed forces. We are all very proud of his service and the sacrifices he made for our country!
Like all of us, he also did have his struggles and demons that haunted him. But I choose to remember all the wonderful times we had instead.