Robert Arbanas was called to his heavenly home on October 27, 2026, surrounded by his family. Bob was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend to many in the 99 years he graced this earth.

He was the third and last child born to John and Dorothy (Sykora) Arbanas in Chicago, Illinois on September 5, 1927; his siblings were Ward and Violet. He held a deep appreciation for his family roots.

Due to the 1929 Depression his family struggled. As a young, country boy he worked hard in the fields, picking pickles with his siblings. After 6 years an opportunity arose for his parents to go into business in the Bradley General Grocery Store, which turned out to be beneficial for the next 10 years. All his family contributed to running the store, this instilled in him a strong work ethic that he carried throughout his life.

Bob graduated from Wayland Union High School. He was selected by the Superintendent of Wayland High School and sponsored by General Motors to attend General Motors Institute in Flint, MI. However, after two years he was drafted into the Army and spent the next 14 months in the Medical Corp at Camp Polk, LA, Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, CO and completed his tour of duty at Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco, CA as a dental technician. Bob had a passion for flying and earned his Private Pilot’s License. He owned three planes in his lifetime.

After his honorable discharge from the service, he returned back to GMI and graduated in 1949 with his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering Degree. In April 1952, Bob was promoted to Maintenance Foreman and had assignments on all three shifts.

On December 8, 1951, het met a beautiful, young woman named Mary Catalano and on their first meeting he said to her “you are everything I have been looking for.” It was not long before they fell in love and were married October 25, 1952 at St. Andrews Cathedral in Grand Rapids, MI.

In April 1955, they became parents with the birth of their first daughter. Cathy Lynn and in November 1959, their second daughter, Joni Marie. They were such proud parents.

In 1964, Bob and Mary had a new home built which he designed and drew up the blueprints for; they were privileged to own this home for the next 56 years.

In 1964 Bob was transferred from the maintenance department to the plant engineering department where he became Senior Engineer. In 1972 he became Superintendent of Plant Engineering and Maintenance. In 1978 they asked him to be Superintendent of the New Building Project for the Rochester Division Plant which would be built in Coopersville, MI. After completing the building project, Bob stayed at this location as Chief Engineer and later retired after 43 years of service with General Motors on January 1, 1987. Bob was fortunate enough to enjoy another 39 years of retirement.

Bob was a dedicated, hardworking man who provided selflessly for his family. When his daughters were growing up, the family went on two- week summer vacations annually to various states, but Walt Disney World was such a favorite for many years. In 1980 Bob and Mary bought a house in Zephyrhills, FL. They spent as much time as they could there and enjoyed it very much. In 2015, he traveled to Croatia with his daughters to visit the home where his father was born and from there traveled to Rome, Italy. From 2015 to 2020, he hosted pool parties for his neighbors and at Christmas, bought gifts for all 19 neighbor children!

Bob had many hobbies, he enjoyed playing golf, bowling and hunting. He enjoyed his computer and especially researching family genealogy. He was an avid collector of coins and world stamps. He had a massive workshop and spent many hours creating beautiful woodworking projects.

He was a hardworking man who lived a long and full life, a life he earned and richly deserved. The last seven years of his life were spent at Clark Retirement Community where he enjoyed everyone, and everyone enjoyed him.

He was preceded in death by his wife Mary, his parents John and Dorothy, his sister Violet and brother Ward and many loving in-laws.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his loving daughters Cathy Lynn (Scott) Nowak and Joni Marie (Dale) Ralph; his grandchildren Erik (Erin) Nowak, Ryan (Stacey) Nowak, Kaci (AJ) Christnovich, Robert (Kristina) Ralph, Cindy (Ray) Vargo; 9 great-grandchildren, Ezra, Elia, Enli, Quinn and Savannah Nowak and Avelyn, Rowen and Soren Ralph and August Christnovich; his in-laws Joe Catalano and Rose Catalano; his niece Renee Arbanas; and many other nieces and nephews, neighbors and friends.

His unending kindness, unwavering integrity and love for his family will be remembered and cherished. As we honor Bob’s life, we will carry forward his spirit of kindness.

We want to thank the loving staff at Clark Retirement and Emmanuel Hospice who cared for Bob during his time at Clark.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 am on Monday, November 2, at the Zaagman Funeral Home, 2800 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Sunday, November 1, from 2 to 4 pm, and on Monday, one hour prior to the service from 10 to 11 am. The service will be livestreamed and may be viewed at Zaagman.com.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.