Mr. Henry (Hank) John Roback, 89, of N. Utica, passed away on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at his home with his loving family by his side. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His Face toward you and give you Peace. Honey - My heart found its home when I found youYour love welcomes me and warms me and wraps me in happiness. With you, I feel both a strong passion and a deep peacefulness. I will always love you. Dad - You are our hero. You have been so many things to usour friend, our advisor, our mentor, our teacher, our helper, our guidance, and our Father. You have always been there to pick up the pieces and to show us the way. We have been so blessed to have you as our Father. You are the best Dad ever. Now our hero has become our Guardian Angel. What more can we ask for? Thank you for being you and making us who we are. All our love always and forever. Please continue to watch over us and protect us like you always have. Pops - Your silent strength and bravery have inspired us to follow in your footsteps. You have been our greatest role model throughout our lives, and we were blessed to have been so close to you. We will miss your sense of humor, sharing ice cream, and spending quality time with you. Thank you for being our hero and our Grandpa; and most importantly, thank you for the gift of your love that we will take with us wherever we go. Love you. Hank was born in Utica on October 17, 1922 the son of Michael and Josephine (Topolski) Roback. He was raised in Utica, was a graduate of Utica Free Academy and a member of the first graduating class at Utica College in 1950. Hank proudly served in the US Marine Corps, Company B, serving in the Pacific during WW II. On June 25, 1949, Hank married Ella Marie Christopher at St. Agnes Church in Utica, a loving union of 63 years. For many years, he was employed as an auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency retiring in 1986. Hank was a Marine Corps reunion organizer and administrator of Company B 3rd Marine Amphibious Corps Signal Battalion. He organized Marine Corps reunions held around the country for over 30 years, was a member of the Marine Corps Association, Marine Corps League and China Marine Association. He was also a member of the Il-Coro Italiano Chorus, West Side Senior Center, Flub Dub Club, and UFA Alumni Association. He enjoyed photography, dancing, ice cream, staying in touch with his Marine Corps buddies and, most of all, he loved spending time with his family. Hank was a loving and devoted husband to his beloved wife, Ella; proud Dad to his six children and their spouses: Sherry and Bill Stevens, Sue and Jeff Bord, Bob Sr. (deceased) and Joanne Roback, Diane and Marc Pudney, Gary and Lesia Roback, David Roback and Nicole Beauchamp; Grandfather to his cherished grandchildren: Amber and George, Robyn and Rob, Bob Jr. and Anoulack, Valerie (deceased), Jeffrey and Lauren, David, Stephanie, Gary, Hayley, Alec and Shane; Great-Grandfather to Megan, Sierra and Mali. He also leaves behind Irene and Alfred Paniccia, Raymond and Joanne Roback, Ronald and Kathy Roback, Frances Roback, Grace and Tony Greci, Robert and Alice Christopher, Dominic and Marylou Christopher, Raymond and Irene Christopher, Pam Christopher, Helen Christopher and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by Chester, Edward and Helen Roback, and Anthony, Edward, Michael and Lisa Christopher. Mr. Roback's funeral will be held on Friday June 22, 2012 at 12:15 p.m. from the Heintz Funeral Home, 408 Herkimer Rd., N. Utica and 1:00 p.m. at Historic Old St., John's Church where his Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated. His rite of committal and burial with military honors will be held at St. Agnes Cemetery in Utica. Calling hours for family and friends are Thursday from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Those wishing to make a donation in Hank's memory, please consider the American Cancer Society. SEMPER FI