Robert Dembowski Obituary (1961 - 2026)

Born Nov 03, 1961, Robert Dembowski attended Locust Valley High School in Locust Valley, NY. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Robert Dembowski.

Graduation Year	Class of 1980
Date of Birth	Nov 03, 1961
Date of Passing	Jan 28, 2026
About	NYPD Sgt. Robert Dembowski (Bobby D) lifetime resident of Locust Valley Passed Wednesday January 28, 2026. Cherished and Loving Husband- Darling- of 44 years to Shari; Amazing Dad, provider and role model for Brittany and the one you could call for anything. Bobby Recently became a “Grampa” having so much fun playing with Keanu, his little buddy. Loyal friend, brother, and confidant- responsible to a fault. A true family man. Not perfect- but he strived to be his best and came as close as you can be. He is survived by his brothers Joe Dembowski (Jody), James Dembowski (Teresa), Matthew Dembowski and Michael Wright, also by Step-mom Linda Dembowski, Aunt Lucy Dembowski (Stanley) and his life-saving kidney donor Sarah Caponi. Many Nieces & Nephews, Great Nieces & Nephews and cousins have all had fun with their Uncle Bobby who tried to make the important milestones in their lives. He has deep love & affection for my huge family, his in-laws and has been there through thick and thin for the good times and the bad. He has had many careers in his lifetime- never one to stop working a minute. From Moving & Storage, Delivering Boars Head to Grave Digger at Locust Valley Cemetery and caring for and managing local family estates- He was dependable. But his true passion and heart was with his “brothers in blue”. He was so happy when he was accepted into the NYPD. And he flourished, the only blonde cop in the South Bronx. He was a 9/11 First Responder and was also tasked to work ‘on the pile’ in the aftermath. The cancer found on his neck was believed to be from the same. This experience had a profound effect on him. The friendships developed with these men and women were deep and strong. He had such love and respect for his fellow officers as family and they returned the sentiment. He was so much fun. He could be so silly. We love music and to dance. He loved to golf. He also loved to walk on a warm beach shore- especially Puerto Rico. We have had such a wonderful time traveling as far as Brazil, and all the Caribbean cruising, our annual jaunts to Montauk and Fire Island. And yes, he loved the animal menagerie we have had over the years and forged special bonds with our many expensive cats, who are no doubt greeting him at the rainbow bridge. Thank you for being a part of his and our journey. Thank you Bobby D for your love, protection and spoiling me. I love and adore you. I am truly Blessed and Thankful for this life we created and shared. Your legacy will live on.
Events	Good afternoon, On behalf of my Mom and I, we thank you all for joining us in remembering the one and only Bobby D. I think it goes without saying we all thought we had many more years before even thinking about being here, but unfortunately and unfairly our time was cut way too short. Right now my parents along with my husband and son and I should be in Disney having our first of many family vacations. To say we were robbed is an understatement. Before talking about my Dad I want to thank Sarah Caponi one more time. Sarah I want to thank you for your selfless gift of a kidney last May. You gave us so much hope and motivation during our time of desperation and I can never thank you enough for trying to save him. You truly are an angel and I am so sorry for the way this all turned out. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. Despite my father being an NYPD sergeant growing up he was the easy one. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times my Dad ever yelled at me in my life. Dad was the softy but at the same time he was the protector. Everywhere we went he was aware of his surroundings, taking a seat facing the door so he could watch who would come and go from a restaurant, and just made sure whomever was with him was getting from point A to point B safely. I don’t remember much of his years as a cop but I do remember how special having Sundays and Mondays off were and how cool it was to have a police officer Dad who owned a gun and was undercover. It felt like he was a secret agent or something. After 9/11 I remember those long days of him being gone and how relieved I was seeing the garage light turn on as he pulled into the driveway covered in dust. I remember being so proud my Dad was one of the heroes working at ground zero. My Dad was the greatest friend and neighbor. If you had an emergency, you called Bobby D. If you didn’t know what to do, you called Bobby D. If you just needed a friend, you called Bobby D. Somehow Bobby D always knew what to do and would be there within minutes saving the day, usually with a smile on his face. I am sure many of you have experienced firsthand just how caring and generous my Bobby was. He made everyone around him feel welcome. He was easy to talk to - in fact my Dad and I spoke multiple times a week. I think that is going to be one of the hardest things now that he is gone - who do you call instead? What would Bobby D do? Over the last 6 days there have been so many times I went to grab my phone to call my Dad. Even standing in my parents house this week I missed having the person I could lock eyes with across the room. We always found each other in every room. The last thing my Dad did for me was hunted down some ice melt as I couldn’t find any before the last snowstorm. I may never use that jug of ice melt. Bobby D and fun went hand in hand. I remember going on rollercoasters with him and Samantha in Dorney Park all those summers after school was out. We went on so many vacations as a family of 4 and those memories I will forever cherish. More vacations included escaping the cold to go to Puerto Rico or Mexico, and one of my all-time favorites the annual week out in Montauk with the crew. What I would do to have more time with him to go on more adventures. You always think you have more time. As an adult I realize how special it is to have parents you want to spend time with. Standing side by side with my Dads arms around me as Elton John sang “Your Song” will forever be one of my most cherished memories. And how wonderful life was with him in the world. Now being a parent myself I am beginning to understand the love, strength and sacrifices my own parents made for me. As much as my own heart is hurting, my heart further breaks for my son, Keanu. One day I will tell Keanu just how hard his Grampa fought to be here for him and how he was the motivation for Grampa to get better. Keanu and Grampa were best friends for life. Dad, I will miss you for the rest of my life. Not being able to say goodbye has singlehandedly been the most difficult thing to process. The day you left our world my heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. I had 34 amazing years with you and wish I could have had 34 more. I love you and thank you for everything.

Classmate Memories

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Tom Yavoski '77 said:

Went to LVHS 1977 or Boys Club with Joey D.
Sorry to hear about your brother.
Tom Yavoski (S5thSt)
Plano Texas

Posted March 13th, 2026

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Elizabeth Bru '84 said:

Deepest sympathy for your loss.

Posted March 13th, 2026

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