Dr. Robert M. Danek

1929 - 2013

Dr. Robert M. Danek
Virginia Beach - Dr. Robert M. Danek died August 13, 2013, after a brief illness. He was born Christmas Day 1929 in Binghamton, N.Y. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Louise; his children, beloved daughter Nancy Lindsey and sons, Geoff and Robert S. and their wives, Diane and Celeste, respectively. He was also the proud grandpa of 10 grandchildren: Nancy's kids, Chad, Jana and Lara Barbir; Geoff's kids, Ben, Troy and Beau Danek; and Bobby's kids, Nicole, Tyler, Summer and Madilynn Danek. Also, our very dear "almost daughter" Carolyn McDonnell and her three sons, Tyler, Brennan and Chase.
Bob was a retired college professor. His higher education began with a scholarship at Yale, from which he transferred and earned his B.A. in English from Stanford in 1962 and his Ph.D. from Indiana Univ. in 1972. To be noted, he also received a master's in library science. His family, children and grandchildren were of the utmost importance to him, with English literature (especially Shakespeare) a very close second. He loved wine, good food, classical music, friends and travel.
His life itself was an education, which included teaching positions at universities in New York, Ohio and Oklahoma, and establishing an ESL program in Clarksville, Arkansas. Later, he taught in Saudi Arabia for a decade while taking advantage of Europe and its culture.
While his family will remember him best for being a wonderful husband and father, he touched many students' lives with his passion for liberal arts. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association or to the charity of your choice.