Age 81, passed away on Friday morning, January 30, 2026. Rob was born in Norwalk, CT, on June 21, 1944, the son of Louis and Rose (Kuchma) Soltesz. On August 21, 1965, he married Elizabeth Jean Sugden who preceded him in death in 2018. Rob is survived by his son, Christopher (Sarah) Soltesz of Three Rivers; daughters, Tracey (Christian) Evans of Wallingford, CT and Melissa Soltesz of Park City, UT; grandchildren, Robert (Kaitie), Genevieve, William (Silvana), Mason and Joseph; nieces and nephews; many friends. Besides his wife he was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Louis Soltesz.

Robert/Dad/Papa left his family with many wonderful memories. Chris remembers the time and effort Dad put into building him a train table for the trains he received at 7 years old. Tracey says Dad would take her with him when she was little to deliver newspapers and would always get her a hot chocolate to drink while they drove around in the dark. Melissa fondly remembers the endless games of Australian rummy that filled her childhood and carried on into adulthood. The entire family would play and every game was filled with laughter and silly antics. Over the years, she has shared the tradition with her friends, even renaming it “Soltesz Family Rummy,” since no one else seems to know the unique rules they’ve always played by. Sarah appreciates that Dad showed up every time she worked in Easton to watch a very young Rob, and never complained as they viewed Toy Story endlessly.

Rob says Papa was a larger than life character with stories and quotes to match, but the one that sticks out to him is the impression he left with anyone he interacted with, and the quotes and mannerisms that will persist in Soltesz family lore for years to come. Kaitie recalls that Papa (and Gramman) used to take Rob and her out for dinner at Decoy Ducks when they started dating. Papa always offered to order her a bonus slice of cake, and laughed when she took him up on the offer instead of just letting him eat it. One of Genny’s favorite memories with Papa is getting together for holiday dinners. Our family always stayed at the table long after the meal was over to share stories and memories, and Papa always had all of us laughing. William will never forget playing board games and especially poker with Papa. Mason remembers when he was a toddler, Poppa made it his mission to buy him fresh fruit every day. They shared their love of blueberries and strawberries every morning over breakfast.