Robert ““Bob”” K. Carey

Passed away peacefully, Sunday, January 22, 2017 at the age of 79 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. A memorial gathering will take place at Krause Funeral Home, 12401 West National Avenue, New Berlin Wisconsin, 53151, on Thursday February 9, 2017, from 3:00 PM – 5:45 PM. A Memorial Service will follow at 6:00 PM.

Bob was preceded in death by his father, Gerald Sr., his mother Helen (Kuri) and his nephew, Scott. His passing is mourned by loving siblings: brother Gerald Jr. (Dorothy), sister Kathleen (the late Kenneth Sr.) Walter, brother James (Tracy), and sister Luann (the late David) Reed.  Bob will also be dearly missed by 5 nieces (Laura Hendrickson, Catherine, Christin, Lisa Thompson, and Michelle Johnson), 2 nephews (Kenneth Walter, Jr. and Timothy), and 11 great- nieces and great-nephews, as well as a host of other relatives and lifelong friends.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Zilber Family Hospice for their compassionate care while Bob was in residence.

Bob was born in Milwaukee, WI and spent his early years on a farm near Marshfield and then back in the West Allis area. He and his family moved to New Berlin in 1951. Bob used his theatrical, production and building skills starting at a very young age, from building a family puppet theater to being involved in dramatic productions during his time at Pius XI High School (graduating class 1955).

In 1955 he became the Floor Director for WISN-Milwaukee, moving to WITI-Milwaukee in 1957 in the same capacity. He stage-managed both live and taped productions, overseeing stage settings and lighting. Bob moved back to WISN in in 1960 where he served as the Floor Director and then Staging Director. In addition to stage managing, he also oversaw project design, assistant directed productions, and managed the cost accounting and hiring of studio personnel.

In between his time behind the spotlights, in 1958 he enlisted in the United State Air Force Reserves and was called to active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was discharged in 1964 as Airman First Class.

In 1973, Bob moved to Minneapolis, MN where he became the Scenic Technician for the Cambridge Corporation, a television production studio. He administered the Scenic Department both in the studio and on location.

In 1976, Bob decided it was time to take the plunge that he had always dreamed about out of the Midwest to land in Burbank, California. There he worked as a freelance stage manager and art director where he met and worked with such celebrities such as Orson Welles, Liza Minelli, Gene Kelly and Dorothy Lamour. He also became co-owner of the Ladybug Plant Company and later worked as a cost adjuster at a company called Super Freeze. During his 22 year residence in California, he remained active in his passions with community theater and video production and picked up a new passion : writing and family genealogy. In the mid-80s he began to share his self-printed and bound books that not only documented facts and details, but placed them in a historical storyboard context.

When he returned home to Wisconsin in 1998 the cold still did not suit him but being able to be present to care for his mother, and reconnect with his Midwest roots, did. He continued writing essays, a wonderfully detailed autobiography, and researched the family lineage further and further back, creating full stories of the facts he would uncover from multiple sources.

Bob had a tight group of friends who called themselves the “ROMEOs” (Retired Old Men Eating Out). He never tired of good conversation and great, classic movies. Bob’s mind was always sharp (he was a member of MENSA) and he was always ready to tell you something you didn’t know yet. Whenever we would ask him a question about the family history or an event in his life he would give us that look of his and say “it’s in the book” (referring to his many writings) but then proceed to give us the entire story in a way only he could. He was a voracious reader, a great writer, a beloved friend/family member, and an honest and kind person. He will be in the hearts of his family and friends forever, his life will go on in his writings and he will be remembered as a great mentor and role model.