Robert Carroll Obituary

Robert W. Carroll Jr.

Born: November 18th, 1956

Died: October 11, 2019

Robert W. Carroll Jr. passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on October 11, 2019, after a 2-year long battle with kidney cancer. Born Sunday, November 18th, 1956, he was 62-years old, and was raised and lived most of his life in Downers Grove.

Rob, or "Bob" as he was known to many, is survived by his much beloved wife and partner of 20-years, Jean (O'Connor) McMenamin; and her three children Megan, Lindsay, and Sean McMenamin. Rob is also survived by his sister, Andrea Carroll. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert W. and Alice C. (Osborn) Carroll.

Rob and Jean first met when both were in their early twenties, and Jean was working at the coffee counter at the old Main Pharmacy in Downers Grove. They dated for three years, but then separated to pursue different paths. Twenty-years later they met again by chance at the Downtown Downers Grove Fine Arts Festival, and were immediately delighted to rekindle their dormant relationship.

As a young man, Rob was a boy scout and achieved the Life rank in Troop 3 which met at Downers Grove's First United Methodist church. He was also a member of the church, and participated in their travelling choir. Rob enjoyed his family's membership at the Downers Grove Swim and Racquet Club and was active on the competitive swim team.

Rob attended Lincoln and Avery Coonley grade schools, O'Neill Middle School, and graduated from Downers Grove Community High School South, class of 1974. While in high school he lettered in both tennis and swimming, and won a singles, conference-championship tennis tournament his sophomore year. Rob later graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1978 with a B.S. degree and a double-major in Psychology and Communication, minor in Economics.

Rob had a long and successful career working primarily for three manufacturing companies as a sales engineer and product manager. He promoted highly-engineered equipment and instruments to precision manufacturers in the aerospace, medical device, and industrial markets.

An avid photographer, Rob also loved golf and held a Sunday-morning permanent tee time at the historic Downers Grove Golf Club for 30-years. Rob and Jean enjoyed travelling together, and had recently visited Sedona, AZ; Vail, CO; and Kauai, HI.

A celebration of life will be held next month. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.