Police chief, family remember beloved officer who lost battle to cancer

Wednesday morning, Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer received word that one of his retired officers had passed away.

Rob Velardi, 56, died Tuesday night. He started working for the Holmes Beach Police Department on March 16, 1987.

“Rob was a great guy. He spent 30 years protecting this community,” Tokajer said. “Then he passes after working his entire life to obtain retirement to spend with his family, his wife and his loving daughters, for him to go at such a young age.”

Rob Velardi, a native of Westchester County, N.Y., had always wanted a job that involved law and always leaned toward becoming an officer, his wife, Angela Velardi said.

“He always wanted to just help people and he always, above all else, did the right thing,” Angela said.

He moved to Bradenton in 1980, they were married in Florida a year later and went on to have three daughters.

Velardi had just retired from his position as school resource officer on Jan. 2, as he battled cancer.

He was first diagnosed in February 2015. But the cancer came back twice and was spreading.

“Even with stage four pancreatic cancer, undergoing chemo and radiation he was there every day he could be,” Angela said. “Surgeries, chemo, radiation, he fought the battle as long as he could. He was tough and brave, never complained.”

“He battled it, he was winning. He came back to work,” Tokajer said. “He retired in January and then cancer returned and even though he fought very hard, it was too much.”

Velardi was the school resource officer for the department at Anna Maria Elementary School for the past two years, where Tokajer said he was loved by the children and parents.

“He was very accessible to the kids and the whole community,” Tokajer said. “Everybody knew him by Rob, he was just loved by everybody.”

Angela remembered her husband as “the best father anyone could ask for,” always putting their three daughters first and loving their grandsons.

“When our kids were young he did everything the could to be at their soccer games and often coaching, even with no sleep. He was there encouraging and helping them to be the best they could be,” Angela said.

“I know they’re all grieving right now but they have strong faith in the Lord and they know Rob’s in a better place and no longer in pain,” Tokajer said of Velardi’s family.

His police family will miss him, too.

Tokajer said it was a somber mood around the department Wednesday.

“Everybody is feeling this hard. He was part of our family and it hits home very hard.”

Wednesday afternoon, Tokajer announced Velardi’s death to the community in a post to the Holmes Beach Police Department Facebook page. Prayers for the family and the department amassed in the comments section.

The support from the department and the school has meant the world to Angela, as flowers were delivered to her home Wednesday.

“That just shows how well he was loved,” Angela said.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Police chief, family remember beloved officer who lost battle to cancer."