Robert M. Poklemba

Robert Mark Poklemba died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on March 24th, 2026. Known to most as Pokey, he was a long-time Massachusetts resident who spent more than 50 years combined living in both Acton and Groton.

He was born on February 12th, 1935 to Mr. Stephen Poklemba and Mrs. Emma (Tomol) Poklemba of Jersey City, New Jersey. He was the last of seven children, all of whom predeceased him: William, Irma, Ida, Irene, Dorothy, and James.

Growing up in New Jersey, Robert had a great love for the Catholic schools he attended. He worked hard to help the sisters who taught him, doing everything from clapping erasers to transporting lunches between the convent and the grammar school to entertaining them with his clever sense of humor, charming smile, and occasional troublesome pranks. He assisted the priests of his parish too, serving for years as an altar boy at the daily Masses, Sunday Masses, and many funerals and special services.

In 1955, he met 16-year-old Helen Brennan at Bernie’s Soda Shop in Jersey City. They dated for a few years, married, and lived happily together for the last 67 years. They had three children, Mark, Debra, and Joyce. With them all he created many family memories. A favorite was their yearly month-long trips to Florida, where he taught each of them to say their prayers everywhere they went, swim, dive, hunt for “beauties” (perfect seashells), pick their dessert before their meal in restaurants, and how to do on the spot handy-man projects like clean the filter and coil in every one of their hotel room’s air conditioners.

He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve as a young adult and went on a non-combat deployment to Central and South America. He later became an instructor for the Navy where he taught specialized classes for 19 years. His natural gift for teaching spilled over into his everyday life; he was always ready to assist a neighbor or family member with projects that ranged from homework help to fixing a furnace. He passed his love of learning and gift of teaching on to his family and especially his three grandchildren, all who became public school teachers.

Always a hard worker and creative thinker, in the early 1960’s with no college degree, he began working for RCA in Harrison, New Jersey. As a self-taught and humble Mr. Fix-it, he became a premiere Manufacturing Engineer working on a team responsible for the design of the Apollo Spacecraft radar systems. While working full-time at RCA and providing for his family, he attended a local community college and obtained an associate’s degree. This helped to promote him within the company. His promotions led to his notable contributions to the space program, which earned him the honor of the mention on a plaque in the NASA exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

When the Apollo program ended, Robert left New Jersey and brought the family to Massachusetts where he went on to work for Raytheon. There he was instrumental in the development of numerous defense systems including the Patriot Missile System and Ground-based Radar - both key assets in defending military and civilians from attacks that have taken place in numerous countries. His patriotism, dedication, and love for his country and people the world over was inspiring.

Pokey had a second, less-publicly-known nickname too, “the Wizard.” This moniker was given to him by his work colleagues because of his ability to successfully problem solve when others could not. He travelled to many of Raytheon’s industry departments and plants across the United States and in numerous countries to assist with secret and top secret government projects. With all of his success he remained a humble man who simply loved working on math problems, fixing any kind of car, and refurbishing televisions, washing machines, and lawnmowers. He had an affinity for flower gardening and creating whimsical desserts for his grandchildren, reading technical magazines and journals, and spending time with his family and friends.

Predeceased by his son Mark in 2021, Pokey leaves behind his beloved wife Helen of Groton, his daughter Joyce Poklemba of Groton, his daughter Debra and son-in-law Stephen Anderson of Litteton, and his three grandchildren, Paige Anderson of Leominster, Brooke Anderson of Cambridge, and Axel Anderson of Amherst. He also leaves behind cousins and nephews including Gabriel, Nicholas, Walter, Richard, and Thomas. All of his family and friends share in the tremendous heartbreak of his passing; he will be greatly missed.

A visitation will be held in his honor on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 9:00 am at the Blessed Trinity Parish - St. Catherine of Alexandria Church, located at 107 North Main Street, Westford, Massachusetts. The funeral mass will follow at the same location at 10:00 am. Robert will be laid to rest in St. Catherine's Cemetery, 20 Pine Ridge Road, Westford, Massachusetts, at 11:30 am.

Arrangements are under the care of Badger Funeral Home, A Life Celebration Home, 45 School St., Groton, MA 01450.