September 4, 1936 – May 19, 2023
Bob was born in Syracuse, N.Y., to Margret and Henry Zink.
He was a prolific hunter and baseball player growing up. He played high school, AAU, and semi-pro baseball during the summers and hunted and fished the open lands around Syracuse in the fall and winter. He turned down a contract with the Cincinnati Reds prior to attending Syracuse University, eventually serving his country in the Army. He served two years at Ft. Knox, where he felt a deep connection helping other servicemen coming back from overseas.
After the Army, Bob started his business career in Syracuse before relocating to Chicago. He met his wife Maryanne and launched his own computer programming company. He later moved the family to Indiana to provide more outdoor opportunities like golfing, fishing, hunting, and skiing.
After selling his business, Bob spent the next 40 years volunteering and spending time with his family. He has always been quite the athlete, having kept up with (and usually exceeding) his boys and grandchildren. Whether it was skiing in Colorado, hunting all over the Midwest, fishing in Canada, motorcycling in the Southeast, or hiking out West, he was always up for the adventure. He remained an avid golfer (two holes-in-one!), still snow skied at 86 years old, and walked three miles each day.
Bob would be the first to tell you he would not have been the man he was without his family and friends. He loved spending time with his lifelong friend Curt Foote, skiing and sharing vacation time with his favorite cousin Dick Hollington, and maintaining a special relationship with his brother’s family through his nephew, Bill Zink.
From beginning to end, Bob was a devout Catholic, a loving family man, a great friend, an entrepreneur, and conservationist.
He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Maryanne; his three sons, David (hunting, fishing, boating, and skiing buddy), Dale (golfing, hiking, boating, and skiing buddy), and Dan (motorcycling, kayaking, hang-gliding, and skiing buddy). He is also survived by his very special daughters-in law, Julie (Dale) and Carla (Dan); and his four grandchildren Robert “Bobby” Zink, Nicole “Nikki” Zink, Jonathan “Jon” Zink, and Sam Zink.
Visitation at Sacred Heart Church in Cicero will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 25. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 26. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Indiana Wish Fund (indianawish.org) in Bob’s name.
Condolences: hartleyfuneralhomes.com