Robert Chesterman
Robert W. (Bob) Chesterman, 73, of Dubuque died Thursday, June 15, 2017 at home in his beloved recliner after battling a brief illness. Funeral services were held Monday, June 19 at the Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Westview Funeral Home and Crematory in Dubuque. Burial was in Harmony Cemetery, Zwingle.
Bob was born February 25, 1944 at Finley Hospital, Dubuque, the son of William R. and Harriett (Herron) Chesterman. He married Anne Byrnes October 24, 1970 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Waukon.
Bob graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1962. He then earned a degree from the accounting program at Gates College in Waterloo and a B.S. degree in accounting from the University of Dubuque.
Bob began working at age 12 as a busboy at Kerrigan’s Restaurant; he later worked his way through high school and first year of college as their night fry cook. Bob went on to work for Farm Services in Vinton and Fairfield for a couple of years. He later returned to Dubuque to join William C. Brown Company Publishers for a 25-year career as Corporate Sr. V.P. and Chief Financial Officer. Following the sale of the WCB companies, he joined its successors, Times Mirror and McGraw-Hill, until he retired in 1997.
During his career, he thrived on his daily jog on the Dubuque flood wall. He also liked to golf, bike and swim. The family enjoyed 36 summers at their cottage and canoeing the adjacent Tete des Morts Creek. After retirement, Bob and Anne traveled the world vacationing in Australia, India, Italy, England (where he especially liked a visit to Chester on the River Dee because it reminded him of Dubuque), Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and the continental U.S.
Survivors include his wife, Anne; three daughters, Barb (Kevin) Kehl of Dubuque, Jane Chesterman (Vikram Chinchankar) of Milan, Italy and Houston, TX, and Beth Chesterman (Will Sands IV) of Arlington, VA. He was delighted with the time spent with his grandchildren: Andrew Robert Kehl, Susan Lynn Kehl, William Chesterman Chinchankar, Evelyn Chesterman Chinchankar and Stella Catherine Chesterman Sands.
Bob is also survived by his siblings (all of Dubuque), Jerry Hinman, Herron Hinman, Melanie Hinman and Eleanor (Scott) Wallace, and their children, Lynn (Jesse) Nelson [Mila and Noah], Tyler Wallace and Hannah Wallace. Bob is also survived by his aunts, Patt Egelhof of Dubuque and Charlene Mills of Denver, CO. Further survivors include Anne’s siblings: Rita (Paul) Durham, Marj (Ben) Gonzalas, John (Sue) Byrnes, Joe (Patsy) Byrnes, Bob (Brenda) Byrnes and Dan (Traci) Byrnes.
He was preceded in death by his father, who was killed in the Battle of St. Lo, France during the invasion of Normandy in 1944; his mother and stepfather, Harriett and Lynn Hinman; and Anne’s parents, Leo and Mary (Walsh) Byrnes. Bob was also preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert and Lola (Bradley) Chesterman and his step-grandmother, Ruby Chesterman. He was further preceded by his maternal grandparents, Frank and Kathryn Herron, with whom he lived for many of his childhood years.
During his career and into retirement, Bob served on and held leadership positions in many organizations. Civic and professional involvement included Area VP of the Mississippi Valley Financial Executives Institute, National Association of Accountants, Board of Directors of Finley Hospital, President and member of the Hillcrest Board of Directors, United Way Board, secretary and mentor for the Dubuque SCORE organization, Board of Directors of the Dubuque Golf and Country Club, and Dubuque United Way. He was a member of Center Grove United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations should be made to Hillcrest Family Services or the charity of your choice.
