Robert “Bob” Strehlow IV

August 2, 1931 – August 17, 2010

Robert (“Bob”) Strehlow IV was born on August 2, 1931 in Peoria, Illinois, and died on August 17, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 79. He was the son of Robert Strehlow III and Elizabeth Jackson Strehlow of Peoria, Illinois. He graduated from Peoria High School and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cornell University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi Social Fraternity. At Cornell he met Judith (“Skippy”) Gingell, whom he married, and they moved to Germany, where he served as a First Lieutenant in the Army. They returned to Peoria after he completed his service, where they had three children, Robert (“Bucko”) Strehlow V, his twin Peter Gingell Strehlow, and James Bradshaw (“Brad”) Strehlow.

Bob loved life and always made those around him feel special. He had an outgoing, larger-than-life personality and never met a stranger. Bob was President of V. Jobst and Sons, Inc., for several decades and built many of Peoria’s large commercial and industrial buildings. He was active in many civic organizations and served on a number of Boards, including the Board of Caterpillar, Inc. In 1985, he and Skippy moved to Miami, Florida where he joined HCB Contractors, for whom he oversaw the construction of a number of major projects, including Bayside Market Place in Miami, a skyscraper in Boston over Fire Station No. 1, and the Florida Panthers Arena. After retiring from the construction business, he and Skippy moved to Sanibel Island, Florida, and then to Captiva Island, Florida, where he was a Commodore of the Captiva Yacht Club. Skippy passed away on September 7, 2002, and, on January 14, 2004, he met Nancy Irion, whom he married on January 14, 2005. He and Nancy split their time between Captiva Island, Florida and Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Bob was very active and enjoyed playing tennis, swimming and walking. He was an excellent woodcarver and carved beautiful birds and his own full-size canoe. He loved building projects and helped design and build homes in Bainbridge and Captiva. Above all, Bob was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, who will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy Irion Strehlow; sisters Phoebe Bates (husband Scott) and Betsy Conant (husband Brewster); sons Robert (“Bucko”) Strehlow V (wife Nancy), and James Bradshaw Strehlow (wife Karen); grandchildren Robert Strehlow VI, Christopher Strehlow, Thomas Strehlow, Brian Strehlow, Scott Strehlow and Stephanie Strehlow; stepsons Derrick Note and Jarrod Note (wife Stephanie); and, step-grandchildren Natalie and Porter Note. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Judith “Skippy” Strehlow and by his son Peter Gingell Strehlow.

Services will be held at St. Michaels and All Angels Church, 2304 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, Florida, on Saturday, August 28 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sanibel Beautification, Inc., P. O. Box 1011, Sanibel, FL 33957.

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