Robert William McPeek

Robert William McPeek, a masterful musician and mentor to Gainesville's musical community, left our planet for the greater light of the universe during the wee hours of Saturday, October 15, 2022. He was a clever and evocative songwriter and an accomplished guitarist and lyricist - as well as a recording engineer, music producer, playwright and social psychologist. It's difficult to overstate McPeek's contribution to Gainesville's cultural scene.

On October 16, his longtime musical collaborators and friends staged a tribute concert at Heartwood Soundstage in celebration of his life and music. The event was attended by a live and virtual audience of hundreds of grateful musicians, friends and fans (archived here: https://youtu.be/hgzbyblzx_k). Learn more about his musical legacy at BobMcPeekMusic.com.

Born in Colorado to Marie (Biller) McPeek of Chicago and Robert Wayne McPeek of Willow Lake, South Dakota, in October 1951, Bob McPeek was educated in Waukegan, Illinois and Augsburg, Germany public schools. Successfully spelling the word "bicycle" in his elementary school spelling bee kindled an enthusiasm for scholastic achievement, and propelled him toward additional academic distinction. Enrolling in Loyola University at 16, he completed a Ph.D. in social psychology at Ohio State University at 24, on full scholarship. McPeek wrote the first perfectly scored general exam in the history of the OSU Social Psychology program, and earned the first perfect score on the embedded figures test at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina during grad school.

His mother, greatly motivated to introduce her son to European history and geography, moved the family to Germany, where his father was stationed from 1962 to 1964. They frequently traveled, meeting distant relatives, instilling him with a keen sense of European history and great respect for cultural differences and perspectives. Inspired by his bright mother and a strong, resourceful immigrant grandmother -- a hardworking businesswoman in her own right who raised 8 children during the Great Depression -- he appreciated insightful women who could infuse him with goodness, love, and success.

Back in the USA as a teenager in 1964, young Bob was inspired by the British Invasion band sound, and also by the guitar skills of a friend's father. His mother bought him a guitar, and he embraced it with the same passion he had applied to all his studies. He played in multiple local bands throughout his middle and high school years. Studying album covers, attending live concerts, and listening with friends to the newest album releases, McPeek developed an extensive knowledge base of individual musicians, bands, music producers, production techniques, and instrumentation of all styles, from the common to the obscure. An especially memorable concert learning experience was traveling with friends to see one band, The Who, play at dawn at Woodstock when he was 17. All of this musical exposure served him well in his subsequent professions.

With a "Fierce Grace" (his song on the Erasables Album) he was emboldened to do "something that had never been done that way before," and decided to pursue his connection to music which was his "Heart of the Matter," (a Don Henley song title). A 2013 McPeek quote reflects his devotion to music: "...every one of us who lives and breathes music...finds inspiration in a magical song to get through the day..."

In early 1977, he co-founded the iconic Hyde and Zeke Record Store in Gainesville, Florida, a small business that survived over 35 years. Bob also co-founded Mirror Image Recording Studio later that same year. After multiple iterations over the decades, and with three skilled partners, this business was transformed into the acoustically perfected music listening room that now bears McPeek's name at Heartwood Soundstage. Opening in 2017, Heartwood changed the face of music listening in Gainesville, and has since garnered national acclaim.

During interludes in his musical pursuits, McPeek held sequential positions as international director for Sabine Professional Audio, marketing director for Mindsolve Technologies, and research director at the Center for Applications of Psychological Type.

He is survived by his wife, Nancye Henkle-McPeek; sister, Helen Carll Croarkin; sisters-in-law Holly Stewart (William) and Katherine Bigger (Donald); nephews Mike (Kim), John (Christine), Gerald (Angie), and Mark Croarkin; David (Maria), Richard (Elizabeth), Benjamin, Patrick, and Joshua (Sara) Armstrong; nieces Elizabeth Saliwonczyk, Meagan (Oliver) Browett, and Simone Stewart; and seven great-nephews and six great-nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother-in-law Walter Croarkin, niece Mary Croarkin, nephew Steve Croarkin, and great-niece Kaitlin Michelle Croarkin.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his memory to AlachuaConservationTrust.org, HeartwoodSoundstage.com/support, SustainableCambodia.org, TheatreofMemory.org, or VFPgainesville.org.

Arrangements by Milam Funeral Home.