Robert Richard Carvajal, 81, of Springfield, died at home surrounded by his family on Monday, March 18. Burial was at Fairfax Memorial Park Cemetery. He was the husband of Beatrice Serrano Carvajal; father of Susan Stein (Joe), Robert Carvajal and Connie Carvajal; son of the late Constantino and Helen Carvajal; and brother of Rosalie Nakata and the late Sally Alvarez.
Carvajal was a resident of Kings Park in Springfield since October 1971. He was born on July 28, 1931, in Los Angeles, Calif. Carvajal graduated from Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles in 1950. He entered the United States Army in 1950 and served in the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from his military service in 1954.
Carvajal moved his family from California to Virginia in 1971 where he worked as an associate director of the Campaign for Human Development, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He later worked at the Department of the Interior in the Division of Reclamation Support in the Office of Surface Mining until his retirement in 2010.
Carvajal was known for his enormous smile and infectious laugh. He had a passion for antiques, collecting books, discussing politics and was an ardent Democrat. He had a teasing nature and enjoyed playing the piano, dancing, watching soccer and tennis, and wearing Hawaiian shirts. He loved celebrating and always provided the biggest fireworks display on the 4th of July and large chocolate eggs at Easter. He is survived by his wife Beatrice; daughter Susan and sons Robert and Connie; four grandchildren, Jennifer, Julie, Joey and Jeffrey; and great-grandchildren Jacob, Madison and Jameson.