Robert Waldo

Madison - Robert "Bob" L. Waldo, age 92, passed away on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, with family at his side. He was born on September 1, 1923, the youngest child of Elmer and Edith (Senter) Waldo, and grew up in Pittsville, WI.

On June 4, 1947, Bob was united in marriage to the love of his life, Elaine A. Jossie, at the First Congregational Church in Pittsville. Over the next 69 years, he and Elaine watched their family grow from three children, to seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Equally important to Bob were his nieces and nephews. He cherished the time he spent with all his family, and his children and grandchildren could always count on his active participation and presence at their sports games, recitals, dance and drama performances and school presentations. He often traveled great distances to be present at an important event for a family member. In his spare time, Bob thoroughly enjoyed socializing with his extensive group of friends, golfing, playing cards, cheering on any sport team from Wisconsin, and making others laugh with his jokes. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Bob served his country in World War II and entered the service in March of 1943. His unit shipped to Europe in October 1944, where he was a sergeant on the front line, infantry division of the Ninth Army, 84th Division (the Railsplitters). His division was continuously "on-line" until V.E. day (May 8, 1945), first in the Siegfried Line campaign, and later, in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war was won, Bob stayed on in France, working with the claims office in the Dijon area, helping settle French claims against the Americans. It was this work that inspired him to become an attorney, and when he returned from service in 1946, he attended the University of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Law School. After law school, Bob worked as an associate attorney at Miller, Mack & Fairchild in Milwaukee; then spent 9 years with the Wisconsin Gas Company as secretary of the corporation. In 1969, Bob moved to Madison and joined the Verex Corporation, where he worked in a variety of roles, including president, chairman and chief executive officer. Bob was an incredibly generous person, and over the years, donated many hours of his time to serve on boards for several charitable, religious, and professional organizations. After retiring, Bob and Elaine traveled extensively around the world, and even retraced his steps during World War II. His last trip was in September 2015, when he had the privilege to fly to Washington D.C. with the Badger Honor Flight.
Bob is survived by his wife Elaine; three children, Dan (Chris) Waldo, Tom (Dale) Waldo and Susan (Mick) Fabbri; seven grandchildren, Alison (Mike) DePaola, Kate (Todd) Springer, Andy (Kerry) Waldo, Laura Waldo, Emily Waldo, Scott Fabbri and Natalie Fabbri; five great grandchildren, Sara, Robert, Jane, Rowan, Leighanne and another on the way. He is also survived by three nephews, Jon (Janine) Urban, Jim (Teresa) Jossie and Bob (Kathy) Likes and six nieces, Jane Flewellen, Caroline (Don) Merk, Margaret Moore, Marlene (Mike) Bobiak, Nancy Stitzel, and Karen (Ed) Arendt.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and three siblings, Wyonia (Lenard) Moore, Wilbur (Adeline) Waldo and Arlene (DeVere) Likes.

A service to celebrate Bob's life will be held at Oakwood Prairie Ridge-Tree of Life Chapel, 5565 Tancho Drive, Madison, WI 53718, with Chaplain Wayne Shannon officiating at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, September 13th. A visitation will be held at the Tree of Life Chapel prior to the service, beginning at noon.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in memory of Bob to the UW Carbone Cancer Center, Attn: Katie Williquette, 600 Highland Ave., K4/658, Madison, WI 53792-6164; or to Agrace HospiceCare, 5395 East Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg, WI 53711.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Glenn Liu, and Dotty, Jane and Mulu of the GU group of the UW Carbone Center for all the attention and care given to Bob over the years.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3325 East Washington Ave., Madison
608-249-6666