Robert D. Misch, of Highland Park, died June 17 of natural causes at the age of 86. After graduating from New Trier High School and Harvard College, Bob served in the U.S. Army as a radio operator stationed in Alaska’s Aleu-tian Islands. When the war ended, he obtained an MBA at Harvard Business School, graduating at the top of his class, and worked for the WeilMcLain Company before going into commercial real estate, first with Draper and Kramer, Inc., and later as Senior Vice-President of Strobeck, Reiss & Co. Bob’s inquisitive and good-humored personality endeared him to a wide range of people. He loved words (becoming an expert crossword puzzler in his later years); during his train-commute to Chicago, he taught himself Spanish so he could read “Don Quixote” in the original. He travelled extensively with his first wife, Claire Bezark Misch. Between them visiting every continent except Antarctica, Bob had a lifelong commitment to social justice and the environment. He also helped found and served as President of the Scleroderma Foundation of Greater Chicago. During the last 20 years of his life, he became devoted to T’ai Chi and the study of Daoism. He also juggled, rode a unicycle and could balance a broomstick on his chin. His marriage to Claire ended in an amicable divorce. A son, Larry, died in 2001. He is survived by his wife, Arlene Stephenson; his sons Donald, Executive Director of Health Services at Northwestern University, and David, a screenwriter; grandson Jonathan and granddaughter Emily.
