Eugene (Gene) Robert Barbato of Palm Beach, Fla. and Edgartown died on June 19 in Florida. He was 93.

He was born in Boston. Though he was a resident of Palm Beach for 50 years and loved his home in Florida, he never left his New England roots behind.

Gene served in the U.S. Navy as an officer and aircraft carrier pilot during the Korean War. He received his bachelor of science in civil engineering from Northeastern University, where his co-op experience opened new opportunities.

He found a passion for building and real estate development, which led him to relocate his family to Florida from Boston in the early 1970s. He was owner and president of G.R. Barbato & Co., General Contractors & Developers, a company formed to fulfill his desire to see projects from start to completion.

He was a lifelong fisherman, always in search of the right spot to land a trout or bluefish and willing to find the time to cast a line. He was a longtime member of several clubs including the Sailfish Club of Florida and the Edgartown Golf Club.

Gene was a devoted father and grandfather and leaves his daughter Janice B. Conroy and her husband Francis P. Conroy of Palm Beach and Edgartown; his son Eugene (Gene) R. Barbato Jr. and his wife, Sara and granddaughters Samantha and Caroline, of Summit, N.J. and Edgartown.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Janice, whom he had been married to for 47 years at the time of her death, and his siblings.

After a private service at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown, he was interred in the family plot.