Dr. Robert "Bob" Filler

Robert Filler, 95, died Jan. 8th, husband of the late Miriam, nee Holland; father of Debby Filler, Rebecca (Tom) Helgesen, Daniel (Chapin) Filler, Michael (Mary Beth) Knize and the late Susan Filler; grandfather of 8; brother of the late Ruth (Lawrence) Jacobs and the late George Filler; uncle and friend to many. The son of Alfred and Ethel, Robert "Bob"was born in Brooklyn and graduated from City College of New York. During World War II he served in the Army in Chicago. There he met Lael Rosenbloom, whom he married in 1945. After the war he earned his Ph.D in chemistry - in under four years -- at the University of Iowa. Bob began teaching at Ohio Wesleyan University. In 1954, when Lael passed away, he and their three young daughters, Susan, Rebecca and Debby, moved to Gary, Indiana. Bob then joined the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 1959, he married Miriam, who brought a son, Michael, to the family. In 1962, they had another son, Daniel. Bob and Miriam remained fiercely devoted to each other throughout their long lives. At IIT, Bob was a professor of chemistry, chair of the chemistry department, and dean of the Lewis College of Sciences and Letters. He was an active researcher and scholar, receiving numerous grants, publishing over 180 papers, and advising scores of graduate students. Bob was an active member of the American Chemical Society continuously from 1947, and in 1976 he chaired the fluorine division. He lectured widely, serving as a visiting professor at universities in England, Israel, and Germany, as well as giving papers in Russia, Poland and Japan. After retirement, Bob co-founded an R&D start-up, working into his nineties. He was a lifelong sports fan, from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the Chicago White Sox. He loved to sing and dance with Miriam to classics like "let's dance at the make-believe ballroom." When not traveling abroad, he loved showing his family the breadth and beauty of the United States, taking them to conferences and vacationing from coast to coast. Chapel service Friday 12:15 PM at Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights. Interment Shalom Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sholom Home Bentsen Assisted Living Center in St. Paul, MN (). For information or to leave condolences: 847-255-3520 or www.shalom2.com