Robert Willard Rosene Jr.

1934 - 2020

Robert Willard Rosene Jr.

Born: April 13, 1934; in Evanston, IL

Died: August 22, 2020; in Wildwood, FL

Robert W. Rosene Jr., 86, an eighty-four-year (84) Illinois resident, passed away Saturday, August 22, 2020, at Cypress Care Center, Wildwood, FL. Born April 13, 1934, in Evanston, IL, Bob was the son of the late Robert Willard Rosene Sr. and Marjorie Spelman Baxter Rosene.

He married Carolyn Truslow Hyde August 24, 1957, in Cooperstown, NY. They met while studying at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL. They honeymooned at Niagara Falls, then made their home in Streamwood, IL. After six years, they relocated to neighboring Elgin before moving to St. Charles where they lived for the next 45 years. They had recently moved to The Villages, Florida, where Carol preceded him in death on Dec. 3, 2019.

Legally blind since the late 1960s, Bob began losing his sight in his late teens and was diagnosed with the genetic, degenerative, disease, retinitis pigmentosa. In Sept. 1968, he received Dandy, his first of five Guide Dogs from Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, MI. Dandy was sponsored largely by the Elgin Lions Club. His four other Guide Dogs were Casey - Sept. 1976; Moses - Sept. 1984: Jesse - June 1994; and, Libbey - Oct. 2002. These dogs became beloved family members as Bob's constant partners both at work and at home. With Dandy at his side, Bob travelled to Pittsburgh where he studied to be a computer programmer, working with the help of both audio recordings and Braille. He worked as a programmer at National Share Data Corp. in Elgin, UPS in St. Charles, and later at Lions International. He retired from Lions in 1998. Prior to learning computer programming, Bob was employed for 10 years at Pan American World Airways.

An avid runner, Bob, led by a sighted running partner, completed the Chicago Marathon four times. He also assisted the St. Charles Track Club in a variety of ways while his wife, Carol, was active in that organization. Bob enjoyed gardening and raised prize-winning rosebushes. Working in and among his rosebushes gave him great joy and also brought a wonderful aroma to his backyard which he would enjoy while sitting there. Additionally, he enjoyed playing Bridge with his wife, Carol, as they were members of numerous St. Charles area Bridge clubs. He and Carol stayed close friends their entire lives with his best man and best friend, Dave Jones.

Bob worked tirelessly to help advance the research and quality of life for the blind. He joined forces with the Lions Club and the engineers at Bell Labs to help develop the "beeper" technology which is used today to enable blind athletes to engage in softball and track and field events. Using this technology, he once ran a nine-mile race following his daughter, Kathi, who was riding her bicycle with a beeper on it. In the 1990s, Bob volunteered to be part of an FDA trial study on an artificial retina designed by an ophthalmologist and a biomechanical engineer. The study required the implantation of a chip in the back of the eye in an attempt to replace the normal function of the human retina. Due to the severe degradation of Bob's retina, he was only able to recover some light/dark perception. His journey in this study was chronicled on Dateline in the 1990s.

Bob is survived by his four children: Stephen (Adriana) Rosene, Oxnard, CA; Robert T. (Jeanna) Rosene, DeKalb; Donald (Cara) Rosene, Geneva; and, Katherine Mary Hyde (Martin) Burke, St. Charles. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and his sister, Nancy Rosene Peck.

Cremation rites have been accorded. Burial as at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Geneva.