Robert Edward Habel, age 93, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on March 27, 2026. Bob was born in Cincinnati in the depths of the Great Depression to Arthur and Margaret (Krebs) Habel. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Mary Lou Mohrhaus, and his beloved wife of 65 years, Maureen. He is survived by his sister Dorothy Ochs and his seven children Bob (Judy) Habel, Jr., Mike (Lisa) Habel, Pat (Jan) Habel, Amy (Jeff) Osterman, Dr. Todd (Maureen) Habel, Chris (Angela) Habel and Ali (Dave) Morin. The brightest lights in Bob’s life were his 23 grandchildren and his 18 great grandchildren. He was with many of them enjoying Habel Family Sunday dinner just a few days before he passed.
Bob and Maureen grew up on Sutter Avenue in North Fairmount. They met a few blocks away in kindergarten at St. Leo’s School. They started dating in high school when Bob asked Maureen if they could ride together on her sled down Sutter Avenue during a snowstorm. Thus began a partnership, a friendship and a marriage that would touch and change countless lives, the City of Cincinnati and the world.
Bob was a proud graduate of the Elder High School Class of 1950. There he took an architecture class, which set the trajectory of his career, and fell in love with cars, which set the trajectory of his friends. He was the first in his family to attend college, earning a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati on a ROTC scholarship in 1956. Bob and Maureen married in 1954 and had two children by the time he graduated UC and left for two years serving his country in the U.S. Army at Fort Sill where he was an officer training artillery to enlisted soldiers.
Bob returned to Cincinnati in 1959 where he soon became the first associate architect hired by Baxter Hodell Donnelly & Preston, now BHDP Architecture. Bob helped build that firm into Cincinnati’s largest architecture firm during his 55-year career. Bob designed and built countless buildings around Cincinnati, across the country for Federated Department Stores and around the world for Procter & Gamble, Clorox and other Fortune 500 clients. He was most proud to be the visionary and Project Architect on the Cincinnati Convention Center expansion in the 1980s. That project doubled the size of and added numerous features such as the ballrooms and meeting rooms that kept Cincinnati competitive in attracting large conventions for decades thereafter. He was very excited to see the recent refresh of that building.
Bob was generous with his time, talent and treasure. He served on boards and rolled his sleeves up to lend his architecture and construction expertise at St. Mary in Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout Swim Club, St. Ursula Academy, Freestore Foodbank, Withrow High School, Valley View Foundation, the BMW Foundation and to anyone who needed his help.
Bob’s love of cars, driving and auto racing defined him. While he had seven kids and an active architecture practice, his happy place was turning wrenches under the hood of his cars, especially his Austin Healey and any BMW. He loved to go to racetracks with his kids, grandkids and friends. If he ever stopped working on something to sit and watch TV, it was only to watch a race. Bob never met a stranger, and he grew a circle of car friends that spanned the country. He was a teacher throughout life, with a passion for teaching about driving to thousands of people at countless driver’s school programs at Mid-Ohio and other racetracks.
Bob had emergency heart bypass surgery when he was 59. That lifesaving event gave him, his family and the World three and a half more decades of his intellect, kindness and laughter. He had just finished a weekend of driving his BMW on the Mid-Ohio racetrack when he had a stroke at age 87 while driving home. Lifesaving medical care gave him and his family an additional six years of life to enjoy.
Bob and Maureen, who passed in the early weeks of COVID of complications from surgery, started their marriage with less than a dollar between them. They showed what could be done with nothing more than their faith, friendship and hard work. They were the perfect couple, each playing to their strengths. Bob focused on building a business while Maureen focused on building a family. What one lacked the other had. They knew when to laugh, when to cry, when to pray, when to say thank you and when to work hard. They were a shining example to their kids, grandkids and great grandkids of the importance of unconditional love, gratitude and family. They are both missed deeply, but their legacy lives on in their large family.
The family expresses its deepest appreciation for the care team at Marjorie P. Lee. While we never thought anyone could replace Mom in Dad’s life, they did. We are eternally grateful to these kind and caring heroes.
Visitation will be at Geo. H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home, 3183 Linwood Avenue, 45208 on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 from 5-8 PM. Complimentary valet parking provided. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary - Hyde Park Catholic Church, 2845 Erie Avenue, 45208 on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 11:00 AM.
The family asks that donations in Bob’s memory be made to the American Heart Association, 9825 Kenwood Road, Suite 104, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 or online at heart.org or to Elder High School, c/o Memorials, 3900 Vincent Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45205 or online at https://elderhs.myschoolapp.com/page/giving/memorials?siteId=1211&ssl=1.
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