ROBERT SHIMSHAK

SHIMSHAK--Robert (Bob) Harshorn. Robert (Bob) Harshorn Shimshak died at his home in Berkeley, California, on May 20, 2023, from progressive supranuclear palsy. He was born on May 18, 1947, in Paterson, New Jersey to Morris and Sylvia (Harshorn) Shimshak, both of whom were teachers. He graduated from Rutgers College and Harvard Medical School, becoming a radiologist with a specialty in nuclear medicine. Since childhood, Bob was focused on collecting, everything from stamps to campaign buttons to Pez dispensers. Yet his true passion, collecting art, started when he went to the Haymarket in Boston, looking for a brass bed, only to be captivated by a 19th century daguerreotype. From then on, the die was cast. Bob could visit five museums in a day and still have more than enough energy to visit a gallery or two. He loved talking about art and especially getting to know artists, forging friendships that lasted decades. He also reveled in hosting, with his wife, Marion, a 4th of July party each year, which many of his artist friends would invariably attend. Bob was a trustee of the San Francisco Art Institute, New Langton Arts, and BAMPFA, where he was a longtime chair of BAMFA's Collections Committee. After years of attending Mark Morris's dance programs at Cal Performances, Bob, when initially diagnosed with Parkinson's, found joy at Berkeley Ballet Theater Dance for PD. Bob is survived by his wife, Marion Brenner, his son, Max Shimshak (Jessica), his stepchildren, Galia Szurley (Peter) and Sasha Swetschinski (Jamyn Gavello), and his four grandchildren, Leo, Shawn, Ben, and Kate. Friends wishing to honor Bob's memory may contribute to Berkeley Ballet Theater Dance for PD or the Brain Support Network.