Robert ‘Bob’ Arthur Fakler, 79, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed away peacefully in his Portage, Michigan residence Monday morning alongside his wife of 45 years, Jeanne. Born May 6, 1943 to Arthur and Sylvia Fakler, he was raised in Mankato, Minnesota as an only child. He graduated from Mankato High School in 1961 and went on to study Physics and Mathematics at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He continued his love for mathematics and completed his Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the University of Minnesota.
Professor Fakler was able to apply his knowledge at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he influenced many engineering, math, and science students over the course of 35 years prior to retirement in the spring of 2009. He was an avid gardener and known for his knowledge of trivia. You could catch him most weekday nights beating Jeopardy contestants from the comfort of his recliner with a warm bowl of popcorn. He was a devoted father who rarely missed one of his son’s sporting events.
Bob married the love of his life Jeanne LaPierre on November, 26th 1976, at St. Gerald’s church in Farmington, Michigan. Together they raised two amazing sons Marc (Michelle) and Paul (Kaitlin) and were proud grandparents to four fun loving boys: Cullen, Rylan, Lennon, and Clay. Bob had the opportunity to watch his final Detroit Lions game with his family on Sunday, another one of his favorite pastimes.