Robert C. "Bob" Finneran, a longtime resident of Charlestown and formerly of Dorchester, entered into eternal life suddenly on Thursday, October 1, 2026, following complications from a stroke. He was 78 years old. Bob is survived by his daughter and best friend, Alexis Finneran-Tkachuk and her husband Kevin and his beloved grandson John Robert Fitzgerald Tkachuk.

 Born on September 12, 1948, Bob was the third of seven Finneran siblings. A lifelong Bostonian, Bob was brought home from the hospital to the family’s home in East Boston before moving to South Boston for his younger childhood years and later to the family’s longtime home in the Lower Mills neighborhood of Dorchester. For the final 30 years of his life, Bob resided in Charlestown and whenever possible spent his winters in Palm Beach Florida. He was the devoted son of the late William and Mary (Fitzgerald) Finneran and is also survived by his siblings: Mary Lou, Thomas, Lawrence, Paul Finneran and Katherine Barkowski. Bob also leaves his nieces and nephews: Matthew and Michael Pritchard, Christopher Finneran, Mary Beth Finneran, Suzanne Bridges, Kelley McNeil, Shannon Mahoney, Samantha, Luke, Laura, John and Joseph Barkowski and many cousins and faithful friends. He was predeceased by his brother William Finneran, his nephew Michael Finneran and many aunts and uncles from the extended Fitzgerald family.

 Bob attended Boston Public Schools, Boston Latin School, and Boston English High School. After high school he attended the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he proudly led the College Democrats with students who would become lifelong friends. Bob lived such a full and varied life that he was always urged to “write it down”, but he never did and what follows is only a brief snapshot of his experiences. His initial careers included owning a transportation company that assisted the disabled, restaurateur, YMCA youth worker, and schoolteacher. He stayed active on political campaigns where perhaps his proudest victory was the campaign of his younger brother Tom who was elected to the Massachusetts Legislature and served for 26 years, rising to the position of Speaker of the House. His next campaign, for Raymond L. Flynn for Mayor, brought him to his career in government at Boston City Hall where he met lifelong friends. After honorably serving in leadership roles for two Boston mayors, Bob started his own political consulting business that he ran until the day of his passing. Bob was known far and wide for being a proud “girl dad”. He and Alexis were inseparable and enjoyed memorable trips to Midnight Mass at the Vatican, Easter Sunday at the Eiffel Tower, the castles of Ireland and countless trips around the United States. His later years as a grandfather found him and his beloved John as fixtures in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the streets of Boston, train stations, bookstores, beaches, pools and Florida adventures. Bob and John kept their regular swimming, baseball, coffee shop, and Pier 6 schedule right up until the time of Bob’s passing. A voracious reader, Bob was always carrying a book and several newspapers. He was known for sending family and friends press clippings, reading materials, or passing along helpful and insightful anecdotes. He was an encyclopedia of many things, particularly history and sports and he remembered everyone’s birthdays. Bob enjoyed checking in with loved ones on his daily phone calls and was famous for leaving treasured voicemails. He enjoyed visits to racetracks and the relationships he built at each of them. He was blessed with friends far and wide. He will be missed.

 If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run— Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Bob's visiting hours on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M., concluding with a prayer service at 1 P.M. in The Carr Funeral Home 220 Bunker Hill St. Charlestown. A celebration of life will immediately follow at the Knights of Columbus, 545 Medford St. Charlestown. His burial will be private.