Robert Hein

Hein, Robert G

Robert G. Hein, died on Friday, June 2, 2023. He was born on May 20, 1943, the son of the late Adolph and Elizabeth Hein of Laurium, Michigan.

Robert, known by most as Bob, attended the Calumet Public Schools and graduated from Calumet High School in 1961. In 1965, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, and in 1969, a Master of Arts in Musicology from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. He continued his education with post-graduate studies in music history and piano at Michigan State University in 1971 and 1974, and in choral conducting at Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1976. In 1978, he was selected as one of twelve visiting scholars for a National Endowment of the Humanities Seminar, The History of the Oratorio, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A piece of his research was later published in the American Choral Review.

Bob taught music at Alpena Community College from 1969 to 1979. During those years, he also conducted the Alpena Choral Society and Civic Orchestra, and presented more than 200 choral and orchestral concerts, as well as solo and chamber music recitals across the northern half of the lower peninsula, from Alpena to Traverse City, and from Mackinac City to Flint.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Scientific and Technical Communication from Michigan Tech University in 1980, and embarked on a second career. Thereafter, he researched and wrote technical manuals for large-scale transaction processing, communications, and network management systems for NCR, Dayton, Ohio, from 1980 to 1986, and 1995 to 1999, the Reynolds and Reynolds Corporation, 1986 to 1995, and System Management ARTS, White Plains, New York, 1999 to 2008. He also translated numerous technical works from German to English for NCR, including technical papers for a financial data warehouse at one of Germany's largest banks, and research from the railway systems of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary. For his translations, he frequently traveled to Germany and the U.K. For 20 years, he was a member of the Society for Technical Communication, managed the society's research grant proposals for eight years, presented more than a dozen papers at regional, national, and international conferences, and was a peer reviewer for the society's journal.

In his early adult life, Bob was an avid hiker and canoeist, and in later years, became an enthusiastic bicyclist. Throughout his life, he was active in the Lutheran churches of which he was a member: as choir director, accompanist to services, and a participant in global missions. Bob married his only love from high school, Carol R. Korri, in 1964. They celebrated their 58th anniversary this past year.

He was preceded in death by his brother Charles. He is survived by his loving wife Carol, sons Peter (Erin) and Jonathan, grand children Westley Jacob and Ruby Wynn, sister Elizabeth Johnson, a niece and nephews, along with cousins in Germany.

A funeral service for Robert will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, June 9, 2023, at the Faith Lutheran Church located in Laurium, Michigan. Public visitation will be from 10:00-10:30 am on Friday June 9, 2023, at the Faith Lutheran Church. Burial will follow the funeral service in the Lake View Cemetery, section 74.

The Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Online condolences for the family can be left at www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com