Oakdale-A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026, for Dr. Robert Richard Bolmarcich, 91, at 12 o’clock noon at Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Oakdale.

Fr. Vijaya Peddoju will officiate. Burial will follow at Reed Cemetery. All arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Allen Parish Funeral Home of Oakdale.

The Holy Rosary will be prayed at 11:30 a.m. at the church.

Dr. Robert Bolmarcich, affectionately known to many as “Bob” or “Yankee Bob”, was born February 27, 1934, in New York City. After graduating from Brooklyn School of Automotives, he joined the United States Army on his birthday. After serving at Fort Polk, the Army offered him a commission to West Point. However, he turned it down and eventually moved to Oakdale where he met Evelyn Reed, his first wife and mother of his only son, Richy. Bob initially worked as a mechanic before pursuing higher education at Louisiana Tech University, where he obtained his Ph.D. He was a professor of Mechanical Engineering at McNeese State University for 27 years before retiring in 2000. After his retirement, he proudly invented tools that were put on the market by Lisle Corporation. Anyone who ever met Bob, immediately knew his intelligence and his desire to teach. His brilliance was fascinating and described by his loved ones as amazing. At age 91, Bob’s body grew tired, but his influence never will. His words echo in his family’s decisions, and his kindness continues through the people he shaped. The world feels quieter without him-but infinitely richer because he was in it.

Those left behind to cherish his memory include his wife, Diana McHenry Bolmarcich; his son, Richard “Richy” Bolmarcich and wife, Haiden; his two grandchildren, John Daniel “J.D.” Bolmarcich and Evelyn Katherine Bolmarcich; and his adorable niece, Michelle Mulvery.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Gasper and Elizabeth Bolmarcich Nyitray; his first wife, Evelyn Reed Bolmarcich; and his beloved brother, Gerald Bolmarcich.

Those honored to serve as pallbearers for Bob’s service will include J.D. Bolmarcich, Mark Reed, Philip Reed, Nick Sanders, Mike Abrusley, and Shelton Hatsfelt.