Robert "Bob" Barganz

Robert Arnold "Bob" Barganz, 78, beloved husband of Jean (Murray) Barganz, loving father of Marcella Barganz (Tamas Glanz) and Sybil (Robert) Holmes, cherished grandfather of Maximilian, Gabriel, Elizabeth, Greta and Lauren, and adored uncle and cousin of many, passed away on August 12, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. He was born in Watertown, Wisconsin on October 30, 1942, the only child of Elizabeth Young and Arnold Barganz. He graduated from West High School and continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a B.A. in English and a M.A. in English Education before receiving his Doctorate degree in Linguistics and Reading. He met his wife, Jean Barganz, while attending the University and they wed on August 20, 1966.

Bob enjoyed a lifelong love of literature, and he wove his passion for reading into his profession. Initially, he taught Adult Basic English at the Job Corps in Portland, Maine and high school English in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. After completing his PhD program, Bob served as a Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) for over thirty years where he taught students how to teach reading and language arts with an emphasis in psycho-linguistics and socio-cultural aspects of reading disability. He helped establish the UWEC Human Development Center, where he supervised thousands of individual diagnoses and organized therapy for students needing specialized help in reading. He received the Presidential (J. Carter) recognition for a distance education reading series for secondary teachers. At the end of his tenure, he was extremely proud to have worked with six Wisconsin Indian tribes to improve both the learning of students and the development of Native Americans to achieve teacher certification.

Bob’s personal interests included reading contemporary fiction, gardening, and providing help and treats to friends. As an English major, Bob had great love for a well-written book and was well-read throughout his life. Always one to embrace holidays with family, he loved to create beautiful homemade wreaths and boughs for family and friends and to hunt for unique and meaningful gifts and wrap them in exquisite and personalized ways. He was the consummate host of many dinner parties and enthusiastically joined close friends in bridge and foreign foods clubs. He may be best remembered for the spirited cocktail hours and joyful meals he and Jean hosted for family and friends at their gorgeous Lake Eau Claire cottage that Bob designed. He especially enjoyed sharing his love of traveling, cooking, card games, and shopping with his grandchildren. Bob will be missed by many for his considerable cooking abilities, subtle and dry humor and stoicism.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Augusta Memorial Public Library at https://augustalibrary.org/friends-of-the-library/.

A Celebration of Life will take place at 11:00 a.m. with a luncheon following at the Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison on Friday, August 27th. Please share memories of Bob on his Tribute Wall at www.cressfuneralservice.com.

Bob’s curiosity, along with his wife’s, drew them to travel across the world – many continents and over fifty countries. They were travelers, not tourists. And that was how he dealt with life as well….

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Road

(608) 238-3434