Robert Salzwedel, 89, of Pleasant Prairie passed away on December 2, 2024, at Brookside Care Center.
Robert was born on November 4, 1935, in Lansing, IL, the son of the late Fred and Elsie (Blaschke) Salzwedel. Robert attended Thorton Fractional High School in Calumet City, IL where he met the love of his life, Nancy Vierk. In High School, Robert played football, baseball, and wrestling and enjoyed cars and motorcycles. Robert and Nancy were married on November 18, 1956, in Lansing, IL. He attended the University of Illinois pursuing a degree in engineering, but quickly left academia to start a family. Robert worked for the Ford Motor Company at an assembly plant on the south side of Chicago. A short time later, Robert and family transferred to Detroit, MI, where Robert worked at Ford’s corporate headquarters in Dearborn, MI. Robert had a chance to work alongside Lee Iacocca and was part of the team that created the Ford Mustang. In 1974, Robert and Nancy inherited a family business “Vierk’s Blue Rock Water” which brought the family back to the Chicagoland area. In 1975, the family moved to Lake Forest, IL, where the kids grew up before heading out to college. The family still has roots in the Lake Bluff/Lake Forest area, and have been members of Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest since the mid ‘70s.
Robert was a little league baseball coach and enjoyed taking the family on vacations in the summer. He took the family to the Great Smokey Mountains, the Adirondacks, the Rocky Mountains, the High Sierras in California, the Arizona desert, and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Family camping trips were also part of the summer activities which included trips to Georgian Bay, Canada, where cliff jumping was one of many highlights. Once his kids were in college, he and Nancy would drive to TCU, Indiana University, SMU, and DePauw University for a variety of university and sports activities.
No one could deny Robert’s passion for the automobile. He was an avid car collector and participated in regional car shows throughout the Midwest. His cars were legendary and included a ’69 Shelby Mustang GT 500, a rare ‘70 Shelby Mustang GT 350 convertible, and a ’70 Shelby Mustang GT 500. When he wasn’t on land, he enjoyed the waters of Lake Michigan in his 44-foot Sundancer Sea Ray.
Finally, Robert and Nancy shared a deep love and respect for one other in their 62 years of marriage. The two were inseparable and were always on the move traveling and enjoying each other’s company. He was a loyal and honorable husband and father.
Survivors include his children, Robert E. (Teresa) Salzwedel of Scottsdale, AZ, Scott (Sherie) Salzwedel of Portland, OR, Bruce Salzwedel of Kenosha, Suzanne (Ron Wisniewski) Salzwedel of Lake Bluff, IL. Robert had great love and enjoyed his grandchildren Haley, Tori, Nick, Will, and Whitney. Robert was preceded in death by his parents Fred and Elsie (Blaschke); wife, Nancy; brother, Irwin Salzwedel; and sister, Janice Merriman.
A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.
