Obituary 

On January 15th, 2022 our beloved Uncle Bobby was called home by our Lord and Savior.  Our hearts are broken at the loss of such a kind, humble, generous, and faithful man.  However, we find peace in knowing that he was greeted by his parents, Cornelio Milton Coronado and Estella Moreno Coronado, and his siblings who went before him:  Raymond, Cornelius, Josephine Alice, Ruben and Stella Coronado.  He his survived by his wife, Teresa Coronado, who he was faithfully married to for over 50 years.  He is also survived by his younger sister, Vera Coronado.  Although he did not have any children of his own, he is survived by his beloved nieces and nephews:  Shawn Coronado Romero, Stephen Coronado, Alice Coronado Hernandez, Tommy Coronado and Alexandria Coronado Hughes.  He is also survived by 3 generations of great nieces and nephews who loved him dearly.

 My Uncle Bobby lived a simple life.  He respected his parents and adored his mother.  One of the last conversations I had with him was about his mother.  He sobbed at how much he missed her.  My heart is filled in knowing that he is now by her side, at peace.  My uncle was raised in humble surroundings in a small adobe house that was filled with an abundance of love.  He worked diligently around the corner from his home, at a small neighborhood market.  He joined the United States Army and served in the Korean War from 1951-1952.  He did not speak of Korea very often, but when he did I listened.  To him he was just serving his country, but to the rest of us he was a war hero.  Many of us only found out after he passed that he was awarded 2 Bronze Stars, a UN Service Medal and a Combat Infantryman badge. 

 After the war, he went on to earn an Associate’s of Arts Degree in Engineering from Phoenix College.  Later he would earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona. 

He moved to California and met his bride, Teresa (Aunt Tess) and had an impressive career in the aerospace industry that spanned over 30 years.  Some of his career highlights were his participation in the Zero-G Flight Testing on the Skylab Program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  He also partook in a task force program at Kennedy Space Center on the Saturn-Apollo Program.

 He attended St. Bonaventure Catholic Parish.  He was very proud of his parish and spoke of it often.  When he was unable to attend church services, he made sure to watch mass on television.   

 He was also a member of the Seal Beach American Legion Post 857 and Seal Beach Post 4048 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  He spoke very highly of the men and women of each post.  He had much respect for them and their service.

 He was a beloved and supportive uncle to many, but to others he was a husband, a brother, a cousin, a friend, a veteran, and a humble servant of God.  Uncle Bobby had a beautiful singing voice and did an impressive Al Jolson impersonation.  He was well read, he was quite the artist, he loved to watch movies (particularly musicals) and he followed politics and current events.  He was extremely generous and donated regularly to numerous charitable organizations.  He had a contagious and jolly laugh and always ended a call or visit with, “God Bless”.  We will miss him dearly, but we hold faith that we will see him again.

*In an abundance of caution, we will not host a gathering after the funeral.  We encourage you to take time to celebrate his life by sharing your favorite memories and stories of him.  If you will attend the mass or burial services we would like to ask everyone to be mindful of the current COVID situation by wearing a mask, and maintaining social distancing.

Bio 

Phoenix, Ariz., is my hometown, ever since 1930.

I attended the local grade schools, and graduated from Phoenix High School in 1948.

For my early interest in drawing, I worked on a correspondence course in art, along with my work in a little grocery store which was tremendously different than the big supermarkets of today.

I graduated from Phoenix College with an associate of arts degree in engineering followed up by graduating from the University of Arizona with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering.

Military

As World War II wound down, my primary interest was to enlist in the Air Force, but I joined the U. S. Army and served in Korea in 1951-1952.

My duties were in medical aid and later transferred to Headquarters where I served in the Security Platoon.

I was in the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division.

Two great distinctions about the 3rd Division is they served valiantly in Europe in World War II.

Audey Murphy was in the 3rd, of which he was one of the most decorated soldiers, and a movie was made of his life.

The other great notable fact about the 3rd is that division became one of the first Army units to serve in Iraq.

Civilian life

After service in the Army I attended Phoenix College, majoring in engineering while at the same time I worked for the U.S. Post Office in the Parcel Post Annex.

Due to my short stature, the interviewer doubted that I could lift and toss heavy bags of mail into piles.  On the job, I showed I could even toss the bags to the top of the piles.

In late 1958, I drove to California in my Chevrolet coupe.  I lived in Manhattan Beach until I moved to Huntington Beach in 1967 while I was employed with McDonnell Douglas.

My bride-to-be, Tess, had come to the States from Dublin, Ireland, in 1968, and moved to California.  We met at a party.  We married in 1970, having recently celebrated our 41st anniversary.

During the 1960s-1990s, I worked in the growing aerospace industry with Hughes Aircraft, Douglas Aircraft, McDonald Douglas Astronautics, North American Rockwell, Rockwell International and Aerojet Manufacturing Company.  Also, for three years, I worked at Smith Tool Company, in the oil industry,  (Some of these companies were the same except when they merged with other companies and changed the company names.)

Some of the highlights of my working career were my participation in Zero-G Flight Testing on the Skylab Program Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; also in a task force program at Kennedy Space Center on the Saturn-Apollo Program.

I had the pleasure of witnessing the Launch of Apollo 8 to the moon at KSC in December 1968.  I also enjoyed my work participation as the Apollo landed on the moon.

I retired at the end of 1993.

Veteran life

I am a member of the Seal Beach American Legion Post 857, and Seal Beach Post 4048 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  I serve as chaplain in both Posts.

I also served a one-year term as junior vice commander and one year as Commander of VFW Post 4048.

One of my great pleasures is the camaraderie of the great guys in the Post and the Ladies in the Auxiliary. and our contributions to our Veterans and the community.

Robert is survived by his wife, Teresa Coronado, and his sister, Vera Coronado.