Robert S. Dow

DOW, Robert S. Robert S. Dow, of Austin Texas, died on July 16, 2019, age 75. He was born in Brunswick ME to Robert and Emilie Dow. The family moved to Connecticut when he was 8, but he always considered Maine home. He and his wife, Sara, recently celebrated their 50th anniversary, having married in Harwinton CT in 1969. Robert served in the Navy from 1961 to 1964. During that time, he worked on F4 Phantom radar guidance systems on the USS Ranger, aircraft carrier CVA 61. Upon discharge, he attended Central Connecticut State University. He began his career in market research at Heublein Co. in Hartford CT. Over the years he worked at various companies, including Campbell Soup, where he rose to the level of Vice President of Marketing. In the organization, he twice won the David Ogilvy Award for outstanding researcher of the year, world wide. At that time he was the only researcher to be distinguished twice. His career culminated at Kellogg, where he led the Market Research division as Vice President from 1995 to 1998. Bob is survived by his wife, Sara; two daughters and their husbands: Jessica and Ludek Pekarek of Austin TX, and Lucianne Magnuson and Lee Nichols of Fort Collins CO; his granddaughter Madeleine Magnuson of Fort Collins; and his brother/sister-in-law William and Janet Dow of Southington CT. He was predeceased by his brother Ronald Dow. His wife best remembers him for his unique perspective, his fearless adherence to his beliefs, and his intellectual curiosity. It was a challenge to find a subject he did not know, at least in passing. This was reflected in his love of sports. He was a life long fan of the (Brooklyn) LA Dodgers. His daughters are proud of his determination to always do what was right, even when it was not easy. His granddaughter, Madeleine, told her mother that she wants to dedicate ten minutes every Friday to telling a funny story about Grandpa and then picking a flower in his memory. People who worked for him over the years remember him as a principled person who promoted their growth, a man who was "all in" in his work. He was a unique individual and will be deeply missed, forever loved. Robert would have liked an Irish style wake for his memorial in Connecticut, so attendees are encouraged to come with a Bob Dow story.