Obituary of Robert Dressler

Robert W. Dressler, WWII Air Force veteran, passed away on February 24, 2023 at age 97 at his home in Lake Oswego, OR. Bob was born in Chicago, IL on January 22, 1926 to Austrian-German parents, Anton and Agnes Dressler. Bob had one sister, Edith, who passed in 2022.During the Great Depression, Bob and his friends played every imaginable street sport in every season. He played baseball for Roosevelt High School, from where he graduated during WWII. Because Bob wanted to join the Air Force, he took some college courses at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He enlisted in the Air Force at age 18 where he passed the tests and was placed in the Cadet Program. When WWII ended, he chose to leave the service and use the GI Bill to graduate from North Park University where he also played baseball and football. After NPU he attended DePaul University.In 1951, Bob married Gloria Blair and began a long career with the Hartford Insurance Co. He relocated to Michigan where he opened the rst Hartford claim o ce in Kalamazoo. That led to being transferred to the Hartford at Boeing Wichita where the B-52 was being modi ed and upgraded. He managed their workers comp. program. In the late 60’s, Hartford transferred Bob to the San Francisco o ce to supervise their Western US workers comp program. Later he was assigned to manage Hartford’s insurance program for the University of California. In 1974, he was asked by UC to become the University’s rst system-wide legal liability manager for all nine campuses, six teaching hospitals and three nation laboratories where he held that position until his retirement in 1987. He was proud of assisting with the initiation of the rst nurse practitioner program at the UC Davis Medical Center. Upon retirement, Bob and Gloria moved to Lincoln City, OR where they bought a home on Devil’s Lake. His wife Gloria passed away in 1993. Bob served on the North Lincoln Health District board and was president of the Devil’s Lake Water Improvement District board. In 1995, Bob married Marilyn Sander, Business O ce Manager of Hat eld Marine Science Center. In 1999 they moved to Lake Oswego where they enjoyed their summers and spent winters in their Lake Havasu, AZ home. Bob is survived by his wife Marilyn, his three children, Rich, Diane (Peter), Dana and his three stepchildren, David, Faye (Carmen) and Stephanie (Clark).He was often asked, “How do you manage to live so long?” Bob enjoyed replying, “I have the longevity gene and you will nd out if you have it when you reach old age!”Bob would like to be remembered as one of the Greatest Generation.