EASTHAMPTON — Robert “Bob” Biardi went by many nicknames: The Bread Man, Elbows, Bingo Bob. While each has its own story, perhaps what his friends and family remember most was simply how much joy he brought to everyone.
Biardi died Nov. 2 at 91, having lived in Easthampton for 65 years. Biardi’s friends and family gathered at the Northampton Elks Lodge to reminisce and spend time together after his funeral on Monday.
Asked what she remembers most about her father, Terri Brodeur barely knew where to begin.
“Oh my gosh. Every good thing that you can possibly imagine. Where to start?” she said.
Biardi spent his life showing up for his friends and family, and his care for the Easthampton community shone through his involvement with youth sports and the spirit he brought to everything he did.
“Everybody knew him,” said Biardi’s wife, Judy Biardi. “I don’t know how he had time for everything he did.”
Biardi had a particular love for Walt Disney productions, often wearing apparel with the characters Mickey Mouse and Goofy on it. Brodeur said “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was a particular favorite of his. Judy Biardi and her daughter also remembered him as a practical joker with a bit of a stubborn streak.
Biardi coached many sports in Easthampton, such as baseball, softball, hockey, basketball and others, while also refereeing and umpiring games. Biardi had a particular fondness for the Easthampton Little League, but was a supporter of all sports. One of the baseball fields in Nonotuck Park is named after him, and he contributed in many ways to the local Special Olympics program.
Anyone who played sports growing up in Easthampton was likely influenced by Biardi, whether it was directly through coaching, or indirectly from the support he gave on the Parks and Recreation Commission and other departments and boards in the city.
“He wanted to be a model for kids and set them straight and give them an outlet with sports,” Brodeur said. “He never expected any praise. It was always just to show kindness, and especially with kids. He just wanted them to succeed.”
Sports were a constant in the family. Biardi learned to ice skate just so he could coach his son Gary’s hockey team, said Lainey Wood, Gary Biardi’s former partner. Gary Biardi died in 2013.
Until he was about 83, Bob Biardi kept a morning routine of 100 sit-ups and a jog around the block, Wood said.
“Everybody looked up to him. Everybody admired him,” she said.
Biardi graduated from Cornell University, where he played baseball. He was also a veteran of the Korean War, having served in the U.S. Army where — you guessed it — he played baseball. Born in Connecticut and living in New England his whole life, Biardi was naturally a massive Patriots fan.
Biardi made a career working at Pepperidge Farm, earning him the nickname, “The Bread Man,” since he always brought spare bread to gatherings. He even gave away bagged croutons to kids on Halloween, Brodeur said.
Brodeur said they would often vacation to Disney’s Fort Wilderness camping resort. Biardi loved to travel to New Hampshire to watch dog races, where he adopted the family’s greyhound, Nikki. He loved horse racing, too.
Easthampton was where Biardi called home, never wanting to leave once he settled down there. Terri Brodeur looked back at her time growing up in Easthampton.
“Moving to Easthampton, I think for him it was about community,” Brodeur said. “I think Easthampton was small enough but big enough, so he knew everyone, and that was important to him.”
Terri Brodeur’s husband, Scott Brodeur, recalled when the couple had their third child, down in Florida. The minute that Biardi heard the baby was coming, he got into his car, driving some 18 hours to make it.
Scott Brodeur said, “The minute I told him, he said, ‘All right, I’ll be there, I’m driving.'”
Biardi was also a member of the “Burger King Crew,” a group of friends that gathers at the location on Northampton Street, usually three mornings a week to hang out. His friends sat together at the Elks Lodge on Monday, cracking jokes about their friend.
“He was good with everybody,” Ron Hiltpold said. “He was never negative about anything. Very humorous.”
Of course, they also remembered some of Biardi’s quirks, which came with his humorous attitude.
“He liked to kick people,” his friend Tom Boido said.
“Oh yeah,” Hiltpold replied. “He’d sit there with his long legs all the time and he would kick me … he was a good guy.”
After Biardi lost his driver’s license, Hiltpold said he would often pick him up to go to Burger King and the library. At the end of the day, Hiltpold said Biardi would say the same thing: “Boy, am I a lucky guy. I got Judy, I love Judy.”
Biardi would also always look up at Mount Tom, a reminder of why he loved Easthampton.
“He would go, ‘Look at that mountain. Isn’t that beautiful?'” Hiltpold said.
