Robert B. Hitt

Robert B. Hitt, 61, of Rumford died Saturday, July 8, 2017 at Rhode Island Hospital. He was the beloved husband of Bruce E. Barton.

Born in Newport, Robert was the loving son of Shirley M. (Popple) Friend of Rumford and the late Stuart Borden Hitt.

Robert was currently employed as a Senior Consultant for John Snow, Inc. in Providence. He had over thirty years of management experience specializing in health promotion and HIV prevention initiatives and had trained staff and volunteer management and designed programs and administered them on the dynamics of dying, death, grief and loss. He designed and orchestrated general HIV/HCV/STI prevention education efforts and participated in statewide HIV prevention efforts since 1985.

Robert was the Director of Project Aware for over 20 years and a Co-Founder of Rhode Island Project/AIDS, Inc. He had numerous professional affiliations and received many awards over the years for his efforts in public health and education.

In addition to his husband and mother, Robert is also survived by a sister: Dorothy L. Hitt of Rumford. He was the brother of the late Stuart R. Hitt and Kathleen Gregory Godino. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and his beloved feline “Smudge”.

A Gathering of Thanksgiving and Remembrance will he held on Sunday, July 16, 2017 from 1 PM – 4 PM in the Squantum Association, 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Riverside. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 PM.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be made to: Project Aware at SSTAR, 386 Stanley St., Fall River, MA 02720 or AIDS Project RI, 9 Pleasant St., Providence, RI 02906. Funeral arrangements entrusted to THE URQUHART-MURPHY FUNERAL HOME, 800 Greenwich Ave., Warwick.