Robert "Bob" Theodore Matthei

Robert (Bob) Theodore Matthei, age 87, died peacefully at his home in Lake Forest, Illinois on December 30th, 2022. Bob was a 1953 graduate of Lane Technical High School, where he served as Editor of the Lane Daily school newspaper. After attending Wright Junior College for two years, he took a year off to work three jobs, saving enough to enroll in Loyola University Chicago. He was a proud Rambler, earning his B.S. in Business Administration degree in 1958, becoming the first person in his immediate family to attend and graduate from college. Bob began his career in sales and marketing at Bell & Howell in Lincolnwood after serving in the Army for six months of active service, followed by three years in the Reserves. He worked and rose through the ranks at Bell & Howell for thirteen years. During this time, he met his wife, Arline, on a church sponsored ski trip. They married six months later at St. Hillary Church in Chicago in 1965. Bob’s career continued with time as the VP of sales and marketing for the Educational Systems Division at the Singer Corporation in Rochester, NY and as the VP of Sales for Nikon in Garden City NY, and later as Head of US Sales for Hertz in New York City. In 1987, Bob and his family moved back to Chicago when he took the Senior VP position at Diners Club. He remained in that position until his retirement in 2000. Bob stayed active after retirement, volunteering his time and talents at the United Way of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff and Lake County. Bob’s subsequent work with the Executive Service Corps allowed him to engage with several organizations in Chicago and Lake County. He helped found ESC’s coaching programs, co-chaired its client development team and served as a faculty instructor for new ESC consultants. Bob’s work with the Church of St. Mary, serving on the pastoral council, finance committee and as a minister of care, further illustrated his commitment to the Jesuit ideal of serving others. He lived the words of Pope Francis, who said, “For leadership there is only one road: service. There is no other way.” Bob loved playing and watching sports. He was an avid Bears and Cubs fan, and seeing the Cubs win the World Series in 2016 provided him with great joy. Golf was his passion and he played in numerous Corporate ProAm Tournaments throughout the years. Throughout his life his priority was his family. He was a beloved father and grandfather and a favorite uncle. Bob is survived by Arline, his wife of 57 years, their daughters Julie (Ellen King) and Staci (Brian Harpp), three grandchildren and one step-grandchild. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, August and Theodora (Venn) Matthei, his sister Dorothy (Matthei) Foley, and his brother Richard Matthei. Funeral services will take place at the Church of St. Mary, 175 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL on Friday, January 6th at 11:30 am. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofStMaryLF/videos. Interment will be private. Immediately following the service, a reception will take place at Mickey Finn’s Brewery in Libertyville, IL where family and friends will gather to remember Bob and raise a glass for a life well lived. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s honor can be sent to Mercy Home for Boys & Girls at 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607, https://www.mercyhome.org/ or Bellarmine Retreat Center at 420 W. County Lane Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010, https://www.jesuitretreat.org/. For information – Reuland & Turnbough Funeral Directors of Lake Forest, 847-234-9649 or www.RTfunerals.com.

Robert "Bob" Theodore Matthei

May 8, 1935 - December 30, 2022