Robert T. Bear

HUDSON - Born October 4, 1938, Robert T. Bear, of Hudson, Ohio, died Saturday, June 24, 2023, at home from complications due to lung cancer. The third of nine children born to Margaret (Burke) and Robert A. Bear, in Langdon, North Dakota, where he attended St. Alphonsus Catholic School until leaving for St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. He returned to Langdon his sophomore year to assist his mother in running the Bear Hotel after his father’s death. There he also served as assistant manager of the local JCPenney, where in the shoe department, he met his best friend and wife of sixty-two years, Ann Lenz. Married in 1960, the two left the prairie shortly thereafter, with Bob never missing its brutal arctic winds.

A finance and leasing guy, Bob worked for General Electric, Allis-Chalmers, Eaton Corporation, Leasing Dynamics, Inc., and eventually his own consulting firm, Gateway. Corporate transfers took Bob, Ann, and their four children across the upper Midwest, living throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and to Hudson, Ohio in 1974, where he resided until his death. A lifelong athlete and competitor, Bob was always eager to close a deal, especially when it resulted in annual celebratory trips with Ann and work colleagues to Jamaica, St. Thomas, or other warm climate resorts. From the time he was twenty, driving cross country from New York to California with two of his sisters, Bob enjoyed sibling trips to Branson, Ireland, and beyond, often playing quarter slots at local casinos.

Primarily a family man, his children remember squishing into overpacked station wagons motoring across the North Dakota Badlands as well as weekend picnics along the Great Lakes and local beaches, always involving grilled burgers and a pick-up baseball game. While team allegiances changed with corporate relocations, the family enjoyed major league sports in a myriad of towns and little league games in the parks where Bob coached. Whether serving as a summer ball diamond, fall football field, or winter ice rink, Bob loved his yard; often pausing for a cold beverage on the patio after mowing the grass. From day trips to Blossom, Sea World, Cedar Point, or beach vacations in St. Simons Island, GA, Bob ensured frequent opportunities for family fun. When visiting his children and grandkids in Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, or Alaska, Bob was always eager to share an ice cream cone, take a hike, pull a wagon, throw a ball, or be spectator at a kid’s favored activity. He eagerly accompanied his four grandkids on roller coasters and amusement park rides well into his 70s.

Ever happy to extend hospitality, Bob insisted there always be enough on hand so “no one needed to count.” He stocked the garage fridge as if it were a 7-Eleven. Before holidays, he and Ann made trips to Cleveland in search of the best pirogis and to Amish Country for each family member’s favorite cheese and candy. His insistence on climbing ladders beyond age 80 made everyone nervous, but Bob always ensured Christmas lights twinkled indoors and out and the electric train was set up and ready to go. Whether walking onto his porch on a major holiday, or just because you were passing through town, he would crack a joke, greet you with a warm smile, and offer a snack or cold drink.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, and siblings, Maureen Harmon, Margaret Galler, Kathleen Angulo Bear, and Mark Bear. He is survived by his wife, Ann; daughters, Monica (Clay Mehnert), Marca (Jim McGuire); sons, Robert and Richard, and grandchildren, Eric and Tessa Mehnert, Jameson McGuire, and Liam Bear, as well as his brothers, John, Richard, Stephen, and Michael Bear.

A lifelong practicing Catholic, Bob found comfort in prayer and worship. He greatly appreciated the outreach from the St. Mary Parish in his final months.

Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 10 AM, on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at St. Mary Parish, 340 North Main Street, Hudson 44236. Visitation will be from 9 to 10 AM. Private burial St. Mary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Bob’s name to St. Mary Parish .