Robert Lawrence Blitch, Jr, of Charleston, husband of Patricia Lazicki Blitch, passed peacefully at his home on Friday, August 8, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 81. Born in Charleston, SC, on December 20, 1943, Robert was the son of the late Robert Lawrence Blitch, Sr. and Lillian Ellis Blitch.
Robert is survived by his wife Patti; daughter, Jessica B. Patterson (Brent); son, Robert E. Blitch (Melissa); siblings, Harold L. Blitch (Joyce) & Bonnie B. Mathisen (David); grandchildren, Lauren Anne & Joseph C. Patterson; sisters-in-law, Ann G. McGinnis, Shirley S. Graham, & Glenda F. Lazicki; and an abundance of caring family & friends.
After graduating in 1963, from St. Andrews High School, Robert served four years in the US Coast Guard, stationed in Port Angeles, WA. As a veteran student, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business from The Citadel in 1973, becoming the first college graduate in his immediate family, a milestone of which he was deeply proud.
Robert built a decades-long career in the insurance industry as a claims adjuster. His work took his family to the Upstate, where he served for 28 years before retiring and returning to the Lowcountry as a consultant. His adventurous spirit led him to become a specialist in roofing damage & he spent many exciting years climbing on rooftops during hurricane storm duties.
Robert & Patti’s love story & commitment to one another were foundational for their families, immediate & extended. Together, they cultivated deep friendships wherever life took them — neighbors, church members, and colleagues who became as close as family.
Robert’s life ethos was always to work hard, but play harder. Family & friends’ memories are full of adventures from camping, canoeing, boating, waterskiing, and golfing, to snow skiing, climbing waterfalls, and whitewater rafting. True to his Lowcountry roots, Robert loved shrimping & gathering oysters, even sharing his fresh catches with friends and family in the Upstate, after hauling bushels up from Charleston in the back of the company car.
Over the past decade, Robert faced a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis with courage and grace, supported every step of the way by his devoted wife and family.
A service celebrating Robert’s life will be held on Friday, August 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Old Saint Andrews Parish Church, Charleston, SC, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. For friends and family who cannot attend in person, the service will be live-streamed on YouTube at the link below.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be designated to the Cari Carns Scholarship Fund through the Old Saint Andrews Parish Church Giving Page or to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston, in honor of Robert’s great-nephew, Carson Randall, and his ongoing treatment for medulloblastoma.
Links: OSA Parish Church YouTube LiveStream: https://tinyurl.com/5a26evrv
OSA Parish Church Giving Page: https://tinyurl.com/4y23uyse **Non-Pledge Offering – designate as “Cari Carns Scholarship Fund” in Note section
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston: https://tinyurl.com/3tafb7cs **Dedicate this Donation – Honoree Name: “Carson Randall”