Shrewsbury – Robert LoPriore III, 57, of Shrewsbury, passed away Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016 after being stricken ill while visiting friends in North Carolina, joining in heaven his mother Grace and sister Amelia, who both passed away in 2015.
Robert was born in Worcester, a son of the late Robert LoPriore Jr. and Grace (DiLeo) LoPriore. He grew up in Shrewsbury, graduated from Shrewsbury High School, and entered the U.S. Navy studying medicine in Great Lakes, Ill. He later studied Aerospace Medicine with the U.S. Air Force and earned his Bachelor of Science degree Magna cum laude from New York State University in Albany in 1982. He furthered his medical studies with Newark, N.J. Beth Israel Medical Center, Perfusion Technology department, graduating in 1983.
Robert had a long noted career in the medical field. He was a teaching assistant in Biology for Quinsigamond Community College; an anesthesia technician for the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester; a cardiovascular perfusionist for Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa; Rome Heart Center in Rome, Italy; and Florida Medical Center in Ft Lauderdale before accepting a position as chief cardiovascular perfusionist in the North Carolina area for Rex Hospital and Wake Forest Medical Center, both in Raleigh, N.C. He also worked at the VA Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio as an independent perfusion contractor.
In 2009, Robert founded and served as president of Vet Gel Technologies, a company founded in the animal care field. Notable accomplishments included a co-membership in establishing the new open heart program in Rome, Italy, Rex Hospital in North Carolina, and humanitarian work in Nicaragua.
Robert enjoyed, his time in the U.S. Armed Forces, travel, occasional trips to the casinos, and watching horse racing. His family was special to him: his parents, sister, nephew, niece, and his brother. He will be missed by all who know him.
He is survived by his brother, Stephen LoPriore, his wife Sandra and their children Jason and Kelly, all of Shrewsbury, as well as aunts, uncles, extended family members, and friends in the Worcester area and North Carolina. His sister, Amelia LoPriore, passed away in October 2015; his mother, Grace LoPriore, in January 2015; and his father, Robert, many years ago.
Friends and relatives are invited to visit with the LoPriore Family during calling hours Sunday, Jan. 17, from 2-4 p.m., in the Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St., Worcester. His funeral will be held Monday, Jan. 18 from the funeral home with a procession to St. Anne’s Church, 130 Boston Tpke., Shrewsbury, where his funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Burial with his parents and sister will follow Tuesday, Jan. 19 at Veterans National Cemetery in Bourne.
In lieu of flowers, memorial remembrances in his name can be made to Vets Inc., 69 Grove St., Worcester, MA 01608 or www.veteransinc.org/donations.
