Robert J. Lick

Robert Joseph Lick, 103, died peacefully on May 19th, 2026 after a long, full life. To the end, Bob was charming visitors, friends and caregivers with his quick wit and cheerful attitude. When asked about his well-being, his standard response was “If I were feeling any better, I’d have to take something for it.”

Bob was born in Richland, Missouri in 1922. He was the son of a railroad telegrapher who was transferred frequently, leading to the development of Bob’s lifelong ability to make friends everywhere he went.

Bob briefly attended Drury College in Lebanon, MO before serving in World War II as a waist gunner in a B24 Liberator with the 15th Air Force. The crew was based in Manduria, Italy and completed 51 missions. Bob attended Ohio State University after the war, where he met the love of his life, Dorothy Samuel. They were married for nearly 58 years. “When I reminisce, my memories are always full of ‘we’, not ‘I’ -- because we did everything together,” Bob always said.

They raised their children with love and the encouragement to be their own, best selves.

Bob had a zest for life and boundless curiosity. He especially enjoyed sailing, sunsets, tennis, martinis, OSU football games and road trips (“take the back roads.”) Weather-watching, map-reading and trip-planning were considered essential life skills. Moderation was his guiding principle.

Bob had a long career with Maclean Hunter Publishing, focusing on the mining industry. After a brief stint in Marion and Dayton, Ohio, he and Dot lived in her hometown of Euclid, Ohio. From there, Bob made weekly road trips to visit his advertising customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia, eventually driving more than a million miles over the years. He made friends even as he drove, talking to truck drivers on the CB radio. His handle was "spaceman," referring to the advertising space he sold. Bob boasted of never receiving a speeding ticket (we aren't sure how many he talked his way out of.) Sunday dinners were spent with Dot's family, and summers brought family road trips to visit his Dad in Missouri and travel out west.

In 1980 Bob was promoted to Publisher, a Chicago-based job, and he and Dot moved to Barrington, Illinois. They lived in Barrington from 1980 – 2008 in a home on Hillside Avenue that was designed and built by renowned mid-century modern architect Harry Weese, giving the furniture they had collected in the 50’s – mid-century classics by Charles Eames, Charles Nelson, and Harry Bertoia – a proper home. While in Barrington, they attended St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and enjoyed the company of good friends.

They relished the opportunities they had to travel in the 1980’s and ‘90’s, from world-class cities like Auckland, Munich and Tokyo to ‘up north’ family vacations in Wisconsin and visits to see Lisa as well as Bob's sister and family in California.

Later, Bob and Dot spent 12 years living on Jeff and Steve’s alpaca farm in Old Chatham, NY. Bob fulfilled his important lawn-mowing duties well into his nineties. After losing Dot to Alzheimers, Bob enjoyed the companionship of his good friend, Donna. Bob returned to the Barrington area in 2020, living with Laura and Ken for four years before moving into assisted living in DePere, WI, near Wendy and Randy.

Bob left a lasting impression on many. 

He is survived by his four children and their spouses: Jeff Lick and Steve McCarthy, Wendy and Randy Hedlund, Lisa and Mark Cochrane, and Laura and Ken Mandell; four grandchildren: Ann Hedlund, Matt (Stephie) Hedlund, Peter (Jenni) Hedlund, and Bryan Mandell; and eight great-grandchildren: Christian, Eden, Samuel, Bennett, Emma, Isaac, Clare, and Lucy.

The family is especially grateful to the caregivers at the Rennes Group facilities and Unity Hospice in DePere for the tender care given to his physical and social well-being.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 1st, 2026 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 647 Dundee Avenue, Barrington, followed by a casual luncheon. All are welcome.

If you would like to honor Bob’s memory, donations can be made to Unity Hospice (Brown County, WI), St. Michael’s Episcopal Church of Barrington, the Alzheimer’s Association, or a charity of your choice.