Robert Smolen Obituary

I left BL&C in 1983 and have not seen or spoken to Bob since that time but I have often thought of him. We were both young Claims Supervisors and I ususally ended up taking over a unit that he managed. That was a very difficult task since everyone respected and admired Bob and hated to see him move to another assignment.

I remember when Bob was the first person to get a Texas Instruments calculator. It was the early 70's and he paid arpound $100 for this new technology. We were standing around his desk as he demonstarted how it would add, subtract, multiply and divdide. I imagined the scene to be similiar to early cavemen discovering fire. The multiplacation part was most important to us because of those darn 75% Major Med Riders.

I am late to this posting because I just saw Bob's notice in the Lane Tech Alumni news.

We were all lucky to have him in our lives.

I want to extend my Sympathy to Bob's family. I have known Bob at Bankers/Conseco for 30 years. He was a wonderfull boss and friend. I was devastated to hear that Bob is no longer with us. He has touched my life in so many ways and he will be remembered always. I love photography and so did your dad. We spent so much time looking at each others photo's.

He was always there for me and it just breaks my heart that I didn't know how sick he was. Your father had the biggest heart.

Although Smolentown was over when Bob left Bankers/Conseco he was always in our hearts and will forever be in our hearts.

What can I say? I loved this guy. His wit, his sense of history, his affection for fellow workers at BLCC. We either spoke or e-mailed one another almost every day until about 2 weeks prior to his death.

He never even told me that his health was failing. I feel that I have let him down by not visiting him lately. Even now, I want to pick up the phone or e-mail. Just lately, we discovered that one of my neighbors use to work with Bob at the National Food Stores (life prior to BLCC). He figured it out by me telling him of the neighbor's name and mannerisms.

I have lost a true friend. I miss him teriibly.

What can I say about my "Pops". He was the most kind man I have ever known. Me and my family were blessed when he decided to marry my Mom "Jeri". I can't imagine my life without him. I have so many treasured memories of our life together. I miss him so much, sometimes I can't breathe. My "Pops" was an unique person, he loved with all his heart. His family and friends were very important to him and it showed in is actions on a daily basis. The love that was shared between us was un-measureable. No one could ask for a better Dad then Robert S Smolen. I love you.

Rest in peace Bob Smolen. He was my manager at BLC during the 1990's, You will be missed.

Bob was a great friend and a great man to work for. He will truly be missed by all who were lucky enough to meet him.

So many of the entries in this guest book have expressed my feelings for, and memories of, 'Mr. Bob'.

I remember when I was first transferred to Bobs section (at Bankers), someone warned me to "stay as far away from him" as possible. I was told that he was too strict, mean and very hard to work for. One day, out of the blue, my supervisor told me that Bob wanted to see me in his office. I was terrified! I went in wondering what it was that I had done, and what was he going to do? I walked in and there were dozens of old photos of Chicago strewn on his desk. He proceeded to show them to me and say things like "here's a picture of the EL taken from the northeast corner looking south...." honestly, I thought I'd died and gone to hell. But, as time went on I grew to appreciate the history and stories and will always remember the gift of Chicago history that he gave me.

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As a boss, friendship was one thing and work was another. Bob once handed a claim to me and told me to pay it. I looked it over and felt it wasn't covered. I approached Bob and expressed my opinion and his response was, "what do you think this is a democracy or something? Pay the damn claim!" Enough said.



Bob sort of took me under his wing and we became great friends. Many Sunday mornings we went driving around the city and Bob would show me all the hidden gems of the city, places that I would never have had the opportunity to see without him.



I had the honor of knowing his wonderful wife Jeri. They seemed very much in love. My wish is that they're together again. He spoke lovingly of his daughters and grandchildren. I know their hearts have a hole that can't be filled.

Bob was my mentor, sounding board, shoulder to lean on and above all else my dear friend.

Bob, you were truly loved.

I knew Bob at BLC but got to know him much better when I came to GTL. He showed me around the company that first day and made it very easy to start the new job.

What I appreciated most about Bob was his sense of humor. He enjoyed a good joke but relished a good story, especially when he was the one telling it. Frequently, you couldn’t separate fact from embellishment but his stories were always funny.

Bob was also a student of Chicago and its history and I spent hours poring over his photo albums and in discussions with him about architecture, transportation systems and urban art. His trivia contests often contained questions about the city. He was truly a Chicagoan and proud of it.

What I will miss most about Bob is the card games. He introduced some of us to 650 and it’s all I can ever remember him dealing. Not a game for the faint of heart and I am sure he won more than he lost. There were always good natured insults passing back and forth among the players and Bob gave as good as he got. It was all in good fun and he enjoyed the repartee. His laughter was contagious and even if you were losing, it was impossible to feel too bad.

Bob was what most of us would call a “good guy”. I was lucky enough to call him a good friend. I’ll miss him greatly.

I'll always remember Bob's as a teacher; for everything you needed to know and didn't. But more as a mentor and friend for over 30 years. He will be missed.

I don't recall the exact number of years but, I do recall the fun we used to have at Labaugh woods playing volleyball against the various Bankers dept's. His attitude and approach to palying VB is one of my fondest memories. I also remember when he first joined us here at GTL and the old pictures he brought with which brought back some wonderful memories. Bob was a royal-hearted man and will be missed by all of us.

To the Smolen Family

I worked with Bob for over 30 yrs.
He will be missed,since he made you smile and laugh all the time.

Dear Family and Friends of "Smolen",
I had the pleasure of working wth Smolen for quite a number of years. He was a colorful character. It was always a pleasure to get into discussions with him. He had the talent to make you think outside the box. Just thinking of him makes me smile.
Dianne G

A true friend since 1974. You will be missed.

Bob and I were friends for 30+ years.

I will cherish the memories of his wit; honesty; integrity; empathy; passion; companssion and of course his stories. He had one to fit every situation or a joke to cheer you up just when you needed it.

His commitment to his family, work and friends always came before his willingness to do what was best for himself.

I'll remember although not necessarily cherish the many intense discussions we had over claims or other situations but he loved a good argument and often played the "devils advocate" just to twist me around. He was too good for me.

A dear, dear friend who spoke well of everyone despite what he was going through professionally or personally.

We are all diminished by the loss of his physical presence but enriched by his life and memory. I wish he could have stayed with us longer.