Robert Joseph Schindler
Robert Joseph Schindler, 79, of Perico Island, died July 8 after a battle with myelofibrosis and heart disease.
He was born Dec. 11, 1943, to Herman Joseph and Barbara Claire in Springfield, Massachusetts, and grew up in Parma, Ohio.
He graduated from St. Ignatius Catholic High School in Cleveland and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business from Kent State University, as well as an MBA from the University of Indianapolis.
Mr. Schindler was at his first job as an international banker when he met his beloved wife, Hildegard Muehlbach. They married in 1968 and Indianapolis was home for a number of years before moving to Germany.
He presided over the 135-branch U.S. Military banking system in (then West) Germany, Holland and Greece during the tumultuous years surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Schindler family shared wonderful memories of traveling throughout Europe before deciding to relocate to central Florida in 1992, where Mr. Schindler transitioned from his 25-year career in banking to enter the world of traffic control products.
He was the president of a national highway safety company in Lakeland and then Ruskin and held several patents for roadway safety devices.
He somewhat retired in 2022, though he still worked alongside his son, who took over the family businesses.
He published an action adventure/historical fiction Montooth book series under the pen name Robert Jay in 2009. It was based on a bedtime story written for his daughter in 1991.
He earned multiple literary awards for his series.
Other interests included running, dancing to classic 1950s hits and baseball. A skilled player himself, he was a devoted fan of the Cleveland Indians.
He enjoyed traveling, including trips with his wife to all 50 states, camping and whitewater rafting adventures with his children.
Mr. Schindler was Catholic. He was known by family and friends for his kindness, generosity, infectious laugh and fantastic sense of humor.
He and his wife loved living on Anna Maria Island and Perico Island the past 23 years.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 15, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach, with interment to follow at Skyway Memorial Cemetery in Palmetto. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Flowers or donations may be made to St. Bernard Catholic Church. Online condolences may be made to brownandsonsfuneral.com.
Mr. Schindler is survived by his wife, Hildegard; son Matthew and wife Michelle; daughter Meghan and husband James T. Christian; grandchildren Lauren, James. R., Cameron, Joseph, Jordan, Joanna, Juliana and one baby on the way.