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03/03/2004: "Goodbye Bob"

On March 2, 2004, "English Bob" passed away peacefully at 4:45 PM CST. Those who loved him will be comforted to know that he died in his room at home, shortly after eating a late lunch and apparently while preparing to have a nap. Bob's beloved C-SPAN "talking heads" had been flicked off, and his posture, when discovered some ten minutes later by his wife, indicated a sudden and painless stopping of the heart. Until the last four days of his life, when he took a bruising 3 AM fall, Bob was "comfortable at rest," meaning he was pretty much at ease while sitting and reading or watching TV. Not too bad, if you know anything about the advanced stages of pulmonary fibrosis. After Bob's fall, and presumably while his body tried to recover, he began for the first time to show some real stress breathing while at rest. Click more.. below.

In response, adjustments were made to Bob's oxygen concentrator, prescriptions were written, gadgets were obtained, and Bob labored to breath evenly, but couldn't quite do it. Three days later fate plucked him away from us, but also away from the tanks and the tubes and the spector of a potential future we had only had a glimpse of and that Bob would never have to suffer through.

Bob was seventy-seven years old. He served as US Navy lieutenant in WWII, earned a PhD in math from Harvard, and was tenured at U Chicago in the Graduate School of Business where he taught and served in various administrative posts until his retirement at age seventy. He is survived by a loving wife, four daughters, two grandchildren, and one sister.

Among many other things, I will miss his dry wit, his red vest at Christmastime, his penchant for making stacks of pancakes on Sunday morning, and the great stories he told on the rare occasions when he let it all hang out and became "Two Martini Bob."

Goodbye Bob.

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Replies: 4 Comments

Dad's obituary should appear in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday. Check online at www.chicagotribune.com.

Ginny said @ 03/05/2004 07:33 PM CST

I'll miss his quiet, gentle, understanding humor. Love to you, Barb.

diane said @ 03/05/2004 05:41 PM CST

We can't forget Basketball Bob. Who else had a pair of his size 14 hightops bronzed?

Little Ginny said @ 03/05/2004 11:37 AM CST

We share your grief and send our love. Looking forward to maybe hearing some of the two martini Bob stories some time.
Rob, Chris and Conner

From Oki number 3 said @ 03/04/2004 06:40 PM CST