Robert Franklin Coffin

Robert Franklin Coffin, of Glenview, IL, passed into the spiritual world on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at the age of 93. He was known to most as Bob.

Bob is survived by his loving partner, Jill Baxter, second wife, Laurie Coffin and by his children Michelle Coffin, Vanessa Bishop, Eric Coffin, and Mary Simmons and by his grandchildren (12) and great-grandchildren (10). Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Claire Barnitz Coffin, by his siblings Theodora (Teddy) Emery, June Jostock, Thomas and David, by his first wife, Barbara (nee Shepard), and by his first child, Stephanie.

Bob was born the second child and first son, to Claire Barnitz Coffin and Theodore Coffin, on May 26, 1932. He was born at home, at 32 Park Drive in Glenview, with assistance by "a lady from the village", a mid-wife presumed. Bob joked that he was born at home as the family hadn't yet paid off the bill at Evanston hospital for the birth of his older sister, Teddy, born 11 months earlier.

Bob grew up in the New Church neighborhood, known as "The Park", where he attended the church school, church services, and social events. The "Park Lake", more of a pond, was across the street from the family home and a constant source of fun activities including swimming, fishing and ice skating and bonfires in the winter. Bob's younger brother, David, adopted ducks from the pond and housed them in the basement for the winter.

Bob was industrious. As a boy, he picked vegetables for his friend's family farm, the Melzers, who sold vegetables off the truck in Chicago. He was a pin setter at the Glenview bowling alley, where he worked late until closing, and was occasionally provided a ride home by a passing police officer. On a good night at the bowling alley, the bowlers would throw a tip, a quarter or 50 cent-piece, down the lane at the end of the match. Bob was fascinated by radios and televisions as a boy and into his teens. He built home-made radios at home. He helped an adult install a neighborhood hard-wired broadcast of church services to people's homes with wiring from tree-to-tree in the Park neighborhood. He was trained in radios and electronics in the Naval Reserve. At the age of 20, he became the proud new owner of Ellis Radio & TV after his boss, Bob Ellis, passed away unexpectedly. Bob ran a thriving business, employing two others, for over 50 years.

Bob was fascinated with aviation. He learned to fly at a young age along with several of his close friends. Bob co-owned a few airplanes with his friends and eventually owned a 1938 Luscombe 8A. He used his airplane to service and maintain facsimile machines at airports in the Midwest. He was a long-term member of the EAA and regular attender to the annual "Fly In" in OshKosh.

Bob volunteered extensively at the New Church, acting as an usher, installing sound systems, painting classrooms, and creating a radio station. WMWA, 90.7 FM, was launched in the 1980's, with a mix of church services, music, and community programs. Bob arranged the installation of the tower and transmitter, negotiated for the broadcast band, and built the studio. Local schools, including the Midwestern Academy of the New Church and Glenbrook South, benefited from the learning opportunity on radio programming and broadcasting. The Church broadcasted church services for shut-ins as well as a variety of popular music programming.

Bob was a member of the Glenview Historical Society and volunteered as a docent and helped maintain the facilities.

Bob was a founding member and driving force of the Hanger One museum, featuring the history of the Glenview Naval Air Station, where he had trained many years ago. Bob was involved in building the museum, the collections, and acted as a docent.

Bob was fond of boating and had owned a few powerboats that were moored at North Chicago Naval Training Base and at Waukegan harbor. Bob was a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. He learned boat safety regulations and inspected boats at Evanston harbor.

The memorial service will be held at the New Church at 74 Park Dr. Glenview, IL 60025, October 25th at 5:00. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the New Church or your charity of choice.