Retired Chief Warrant Officer Robert R. Sicheneder (CW03), 70, Altoona, passed away Wednesday at home surrounded by his family.
He was born in Altoona, son of the late Anton "Tony" and Margaret (Kasebaur) Sicheneder. He married Carol Jo Pompa on May 22, 1965, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Altoona.
Surviving are his wife; a daughter, Kimberly Jo (Sicheneder) Hofer and husband, Kenneth Jr., of Duncansville; a daughter-in-law, Peg Sicheneder of Seagrove, N.C.; two grandchildren: Nicholas Joseph Hofer and Kayla Quinn Hofer; a sister, Anna Jean Lynch of Altoona; and a brother, James A. and wife, Betty, of Baltimore Md.
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He was preceded in death by a son, Sgt. Joseph Robert Sicheneder, a drill instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Robert was a 1960 graduate of Altoona High School and a graduate of numerous U.S. Navy schools. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a chief warrant officer three after 23 years of service. He was awarded a total of 15 medals, including the Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal with bronze star, National Defense Service Medal, Naval Reserve Medal for 23 years of service, Marksmanship Medal as an expert rifle marksman, Navy Rifle and Pistol Team Medal, as well as 10 Navy Commemorative Medals.
He served aboard 16 different Navy ships and participated in the recovery of Project Mercury Astronaut Lt. Cmdr. M. Scott Carpenter aboard the USS Intrepid, as well as the Cuban missile crisis.
Robert was employed as a journeyman printer with the Altoona Mirror for 23 years and was the previous owner/president/director of Pruonto's Hair Design Institute and Beauty School of Cosmetology Inc. for 27 years. He was a previous member of St. Mark's Church, Altoona, where he had served as a lector, Eucharistic minister, president/vice president of the parent faculty association and a choir member.
He was also a life member of the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association and belonged to the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators, National Association of Accredited Cosmetology Schools and Pennsylvania Association of Cosmetology Schools. He enjoyed fly fishing, attending The Lighthouse ministries of Altoona and spending time with family and grandchildren.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at Santella Funeral Home, where a vigil for the deceased will be held. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, at St. Mark's Church by the Rev. Ronald Osinski. Committal will be at Calvary Cemetery with full military honors.
