Robert Francis Tamburro Sr.

Robert Francis Tamburro, Sr. was born to Leonard and Nancy (Gentile) Tamburro on April 30, 1930. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Pearl (DePaul) Tamburro, his brother Leonard and his sister Mabel. He is survived by his brother Donald and sister Lenore. He graduated from South High School in 1948, and enrolled at Youngstown College where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology graduating magna cum laude. His college years were interrupted by service in the US Army having been stationed in Tokyo during the Korean War. He continued his education receiving formal training in Clinical Virology from the Centers for Disease Control and accepting a scholarship from Columbia University where he obtained a Master of Science degree in Cytology in 1957. Following graduation, he returned to the Youngstown area where he established and then directed the Division of Virology and Cytogenetics at the Youngstown Hospital Association for 40 years. During that time, his efforts and expertise maintained the Mahoning Valley at the forefront of laboratory medicine for four decades, as he championed the development and implementation of laboratory techniques to identify chromosomal abnormalities, coagulation disorders, inborn errors of metabolism, rheumatologic conditions and viral infections. Education was an important component of his professional life and among other teaching roles, he held an adjunct faculty position in the Biology Department at Youngstown State University. His expertise in laboratory medicine was recognized when he was asked to moderate a session at the VIII World Congress of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology in Munich, Germany.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, he had many other interests and activities. He was an active member of St. Charles Catholic Church in Boardman for over 50 years. He volunteered at local soup kitchens and enjoyed gardening. He also enjoyed sports at all levels being an active youth coach in his younger years and supporting his children, and subsequently, grandchildren in their various sports activities until his death. He was an accomplished woodworker and winemaker. His homemade pizzelles were a frequent request by family and friends alike.
However, more than anything, he was a dedicated and devoted family man. He was a loving spouse to his wife of 31 years most evidenced by the consummate manner in which he nursed her during her long battle with breast cancer. He was the proud father of four children: Nancy Tamburro of Lyndhurst, Dr. Leonard Tamburro (Christine) of North Canton, Dr. Robert Tamburro Jr. (Dr. Patricia Gordon) of Elizabethtown, Pa, and Dr. Joan Tamburro (Anthony Verostko) of Bay Village. He had seven cherished grandchildren: Gina and Daniel Tamburro, Robert III, Margaret and Clyde Tamburro, and Brita and Jack Jelen.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, February 18, 2017 at 11:00AM at St. Charles Catholic Church, 7345 Westview Dr., Boardman. Family and friends will be received prior to Mass from 9:30AM-10:50AM at the church. Interment will follow at Lake Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those interested in making memorial contributions, honor Robert by donating to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley in his name, 962 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Youngstown, OH 44501.
Arrangements are being handled by Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home, Poland.
Condolences may be sent at www.beckerobits.com.