Still think about you Bob, when our little group gets together for lunch. Tom McMahon
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I had the honor of working with Mr. Watson, for several years — trials, briefings….
Mr. Watson’s encouragement and support stays with me, daily, as I share with my spouse, his support and his guidance, daily…
May his memory be a blessing…..
Fondly,
Miriam Ament Forman
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Among the many things that Bob did during his life, one of them was giving his time and treasurer to the Executive Service Corps. We were very privilege to count him among our exceptional volunteer consultants. We are thankful for his years of work improving our community.
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Bob expanded my (and I think everyone else's) sense of the richness of life. And he generously shared that richness.
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Bob Watson was my roommate at Wheaton College (IL) during the fall of my senior year. In the prior summer of ’65, Bob and I represented Wheaton’s National Student Association chapter at the annual NSA meeting in U. of Wisconsin. My main memory is Bob’s introducing me to beer (a taste it took more than a few days to acquire).
Bob was a sharp, often funny observer, and didn’t let me off the hook for my own hypocrisies. One of our favorite bantering points came from a trip we made from Wheaton in my parents’ 1958 Plymouth (during a holiday when we assumed we weren’t bound by the college Pledge forbidding alcohol, movies and card games) to see a burlesque-strip show and associated nudie movie in the Chicago loop. At about the halfway point, the car decided to lock its gears, as it did periodically; and I couldn’t undo it. We had to leave the car at a garage and return to Wheaton. The event led to a lot of ribbing and speculation about the divine intervention that arrested our randy trip. (I’d seen the show once before, so perhaps the heavenly powers had had enough.)
I experienced Bob as an honest, authentic person who seemed not to suffer fools lightly (definitely not my foolishness!), but who could be most generous and warm. May Bob’s memory be a blessing to you, Laura, Anders and Brendan; and to all who loved him.
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Bob was a good friend and an eminent member of Sidley & Austin during the many years we practiced there together. And he was such an eclectic, intriguing and engaging person! I was fortunate to have had lunch with Bob and several other Sidley alumni on a regular basis. Bob always brought something interesting to the discussion, from his travels, his photography, and from his deep involvement in Chicago’s cultural community.
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I had the great honor of getting to work closely with Bob on several cases. I learned a lot about life from him. I was going through a tremendous amount of sadness and Bob cheered me up every single day. Bob was one of the kindest souls I had the honor of knowing and taught me so many wonderful things. The world will greatly miss the energy of Bob. I think about Bob’s kindness and his great energy every single day and on most days every minute of every day. I tell my husband stories about Bob’s kindness every single day. I think my husband is sad because by being married to me - I shared so many stories of Bob’s kindness.
I am so very sorry for this huge loss in our world. I hope wonderful memories of him will guide you through the coming days, weeks and months ahead.
Sincerely,
Miriam Ament Forman
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My love and sympathy to Laura and her family.
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My sympathies and love to Laura and her family.
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Dear Laura,
We are so sorry for your loss. Bob was a special human being. We will always remember happy times, when our children were small, with the beautiful family that you and Bob created....Honey Rock, holiday celebrations, Teddy dog and your famous pear pie which we serve every Thanksgiving. You both were always so warm and welcoming. We send our love and wishes for comfort and peace to you and Anders and Brendan and Family.
Margie and Bob Rosenbaum
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My wife and I spent some wonderful times with Bob and Laura both in the UK and in the States. I worked with him and he was a delightful colleague. We were both very fond of him. He will be greatly missed.
Ian Hunter KC
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We have known Bob and Laura for more than 50 years, and love them both. This one photo and memory is from our last visit with them when Bob took us all on an architectural tour of Chicago before an excellent dinner on the South Side. It had many of his hallmarks: careful information lovingly told; visual images; good food both in the restaurant and their home for breakfast; good music; witty conversation. He lived and cared thoughtfully and well, and left the world better as a result.
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Bob and I worked together for many years on Sidley’s Committee on Professional Responsibility. His analysis of the law and Rules of Professional Responsibility was always laser focused and sound, and his judgment about how best to handle difficult situations, impeccable. Moreover, he had an engaging sense of humor that help make difficult decisions a bit easier to navigate. I will remember him as an excellent lawyer, loyal colleague and good friend. My condolences to Bob’s family, and may his memory be a blessing.
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Thanks to all for bringing us these memories and stories. What I loved were the Bob moments before, between, and after some formal-ish family event.
Whether he was host or guest, there’d eventually come some point when the rituals had all been observed and he’d rest his back against his chair, or rest both forearms on the table and lean in for a good convo. The story-swapping was how I understood the importance of family to Bob, which shone through even when he was in a teasing mood. He allowed us to learn a lot about him, sometime indirect glimpses of his deeply rooted bonds to my aunt, my cousins, my grandparents and parents… other times stating frankly what they meant to him.
He created some great memories i’ll keep forever, like the time he and Laura grabbed their big red dog and took me out into the snow to teach me how to cross country ski (when Laura was pregnant with Anders, no less). I can still see him ahead of us, gliding through the woods, breaking a trail my skis could safely follow.
I’m grateful for all the times we spent together. I’m grateful for his support—he reached out at difficult times. I learned from him. He was like the rest of us—not always easy to be with. That’s OK. I loved the whole package.
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I will always reme.ver him as "hello, Bob Watson" which is how he answered his phone. When I joined Sidley, Bob generously invited me to his home and I shared dinners with him and and Laura and his boys who were sometimes at the table and sometimes under it. I relished his stories and his dry wit. I admired his legal skills .I was grateful for his friendship. I regret that lost touch when I left Sidley, but his memory is fresh in my mind and his big heartedness is a joy to recall. Condolences to Laura and his children.
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I'll miss Bob very much. He was a valued mentor and friend until the end. So many memories--Saturday afternoons on his sailboat with Henry Mason, another intrepid sailor and great story-teller; New Years Eve parties at Bob and Joan Downing's home in Lincoln Park; dinners; firm gatherings; working together on brutally hard cases. Bob loved his work and Sidley, though he could be merciless in his critique of its actions (imagine Henry Mason and Bob together raking the MC over the coals on a sailboat I was sure would capsize at any moment). My condolences to Laura, Anders, Brendan, and their families. He loved you more than anything.
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I would like to offer my condolences to Bob’s family and friends. I worked with Bob for many years at Sidley Austin. We often had spirited discussions mostly when he’d visit the office after he retired. I very much enjoyed our chats. May Bob have eternal rest.
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Bob was my brother-in-law for almost 50 years. We were both trial lawyers. He wasn't my mentor, but he certainly was an inspiration. RIP Bob and Godspeed.
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