Bob Mittelman
2023-12-03Robert Hirsch Mittelman, died unexpectedly at his home in Chicago from a heart attack the first week in December, 2023, one month shy of his 75th birthday.
Bob was born in Chicago and grew up in Highland Park, attending Red Oak Elementary and Deerfield High School. He attended American University in Washington D.C and graduated from Chicago's DePaul Law School, where he was editor of the law review. He was a retired attorney who enjoyed reading, baking cheesecakes, and day-trading. Much of his time was spent on a years-long project about the origins of Islam, Judaism, and the state of Israel that he was hoping to turn into a book. He was a kind, gentle and generous man, who took great delight in his 3-year-old grandniece, Sunny and 1.5-year-old grandnephew, George.
He will be greatly missed by his sister Sue in California and his Chicago-area family, brother Rick (Jan), nephews Niel (Michelle) and Greg (Michelle) and many other friends and family. A memorial gathering will be held in January at the home of his brother Rick - date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob's memory to the Greater Chicago Food Depository would be appreciated: https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/get-involved/give/
I write this the day after Bob passed away. I was informed on that Saturday morning by an email from a mutual friend, and I almost fainted!! After that, it was shock and tears. Bob was a great friend. He was mild mannered, bright, a great listener, always ready to help. He had a keen sense of curiosity about a wide variety of things in life. Always reliable. Very patient. Had your back. I'll miss him..........already the loss is sinking in. He was working for years on a book. Now it will remain incomplete. May his soul be bound up in eternal life:
tribute by Harold BensonBob Mittelman was my close friend in junior high and high school, where we were on the Deerprints staff together. He went to American University in Washington (DC), DePaul University College of Law, and then on to a long career as an attorney in Chicago. After retirement we got together on a number of occasions and always had an enjoyable time. Favorite memories include: 1) from 8th grade, a superb (hilarious but harmless) prank in the Red Oak school library (call it "book display falling dominos"); 2) pre-college fast-pitch league softball: he was our excellent left-fielder and #3 hitter (between me and Mark Gerstein in the lineup) [See my tribute to Mark]; 3) going to Cubs games and DHS sports events together, and 4) the evening during college summer break when we went to Wise Fools Pub to see Chicago blues great Otis Rush, who joined us at our table after his set, undoubtedly because Bob had kept calling out an encore request that Otis couldn't resist.
tribute by Jonathan Neumark