At home, with loving family by his side, Robert Ellis Wrigley Sr. passed away peacefully on October 12th, 2026, at the age of 94.

All you ever had to do was look for the crowd of laughing people and there was Bob. He possessed the rare gift of turning a small interaction into the highlight of your week, and an ordinary moment into a story you'd tell for the rest of your life. He was a hero to his family.

Predeceased by his wife, Rita Marie Wrigley (Grant), just nine days before their 70th wedding anniversary, Robert is survived by their five children, Donna, Nancy, Linda, Betty-Lou (Gregory) and Robert Jr. (Shannon); ten grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and their soon-to-be very first great-great-grandchild.

In 1932, Robert was born in Lynn, Massachusetts to Ellis and Elizabeth (Munro) Wrigley. Ellis served in the British Army during the First World War, earning a medal for capturing 12 German soldiers.

A first-generation American, Bob was raised in Methuen, where he was an active member of St. George’s Church, kept a running tab at Jim's (meatball sandwiches), and played basketball at Searles High School (now Methuen City Hall).

Robert enlisted in the United States Navy in 1951 after a year in the Reserve. During the Korean War, he served as a Radioman aboard the submarine USS Threadfin (SS-410), where he met his best friend and future best man, Ronnie Boudrieau.

In 1955, Robert married Rita Marie Grant. They had known each other since childhood. The ceremony took place at St. George’s Methodist Church, where his parents also met and married a generation prior. From that day forward, Bob and Marie began what became their greatest joy: their family, of whom they were most proud, and the life they built together.

To make up for having been only children, they had five. Bob's career took their growing family from Holliston, MA, to San Carlos, CA, and later, in the 1980s, to New Jersey. There, he founded his freight brokerage, R.E.W. Associates, which eventually brought Bob and Marie to Florida.

Every house they called home shared a single blueprint: an open door and a few extra places always set at the table, especially for their children's friends. Wherever Bob and Marie went, they made deep, lasting friendships, leaving them with loved ones in every corner of the country, including Ronnie and Mickie Boudrieau, Dick and Joan MacGray, and Bob and Shirley Hopkins, to name but a few.

A natural master of ceremonies, he was talked into officiating at least four weddings and spoke at many more. He coached his daughter’s and son’s teams in softball and baseball, and years later, his grandson at Cross Bayou Little League. Together, Bob and Marie organized church talent shows, volunteered at juvenile detention centers, and created the youth basketball programs at the First Baptist Church of San Carlos in the 1970s and the First Christian Church of Largo in the 2000s.

Bob and Marie traveled the world, often alongside their dear friends, Ronnie and Mickie. This time they were out of uniform, and had better sleeping arrangements. On one trip abroad, Bob and Marie took his beloved Aunt Alice back to her birthplace in England for the first time in over 70 years.

When retirement came, they bought an RV and spent summers traveling the country with their beloved dog, Buddy, visiting the family, friends, and places that meant so much to them.

Their circle of friends grew ever wider as Bob and Marie settled in Ranchero Village. Bob served as the Quartermaster of VFW Post 7938 and helped create the Ranchero Village Veterans Memorial. He also played a vital role in establishing the VFW Post's community outreach and youth education partnership with Pinellas Preparatory Academy.

Bob traced his ancestry all the way back to 1710. One year, he designed a comprehensive family tree and set it against the Wrigley family crest. He presented these to his children and grandchildren at Christmas.

He wrote, "I want to relate to future generations that relationships mean a lot and many people will influence you. Family is so important and if you have a few real, close friends as we have, you are lucky. And when you can call these friends family, you have had a wonderful life. Marie and I have been blessed and I believe God put us together almost when we were born. We lived about 5 houses apart as babies and grew up in the same schools and church. I thank God for the day Marie started to attend St. George's."

"God be with you till we eat again. And Go Red Sox!"

A Celebration of Life for both Bob and Marie Wrigley will be held on November 28th, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Ranchero Village in The Corral building, located at 7100 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33771.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation in memory of Robert Wrigley Sr.