Robert Francis Schuenke

Robert Francis Schuenke passed peacefully in his sleep November 13, 2024, at 93. 

His calm, content, and quiet exit surprised his family as Bob was known for his bold and dramatic personality. 

True to himself Bob told his last inappropriate joke just hours before his death. Always one to commit to the bit, his sense of humor and silliness were loved, or endured, by everyone that knew him. He had no bar for embarrassment, but his family did, and that provided him much amusement over the years.

Bob rose to citywide prominence as a respected artist and Fine Arts painter. Milwaukee was the city he called home. That comfort was demonstrated by his flagrant disregard for city and property taxes, building codes, permits, as well as general rules, laws, and regulations. 

He won art scholarships at Pulaski High School and later trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

After school, Bob moved to Paris where he taught art through the American Consulate. Though he moved back to Milwaukee after several years in Europe, Bob left his heart in the Arrondissements. He recounted tales of his Parisian shenanigans to his family daily, whether they wanted to hear them or not. 

One story, for example, was his date with a beautiful girl who didn’t understand why her politically active German father and brothers had left for Argentina, but a 20-something Bob decided telling her would ruin the vibe.

Once back in Milwaukee, Bob—a looker with a magnetic personality—liked the ladies as much as they liked him. But in 1963 when Sharon Corcoran walked into his art gallery, he was smitten. That day, Bob knew he had just met the girl he was going to marry. Bob and “smoke show” Sharon married in 1964 and raised their three children, Roberta, Rachel, and Damian. 

Bob loved spending time with his grandchildren Zachary, Maxwell, and Claudia Beyer, and Maeve and Conor McDonough. 

He was always generous with his time and attention. As a highly skilled gourmet cook, Bob served his family extravagant dinners and taught his son-in-law, Kevin, to cook.

Bob loved his family and had meaningful bonds with his children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. When in college, his grandkids often received letters from him with return addresses like “Mike. L. Angelo”, “Bot. E. Chelli”, and “Lee N. Ardo”.

As a man with an open heart and gifted eye, Bob saw beauty in the things around him. A natural teacher, he sought to gift important life lessons to his family. He never had a thought he didn’t share or miss an opportunity to give unsolicited advice; tell you how to rearrange your furniture or improve your decor.

Bob will be very missed by his family. He will not be missed by the federal government, as true to form and with great hilarity, he was completely absent from all national and federal credit databases.

And finally, the family dogs will miss his warm greetings and outrageous table scraps. “Hello, dog. Would you like a finger-full of wine?”

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