Robert Charles Platkin
April 25, 1942 – June 13, 2021
Robert “Bob” Platkin of San Mateo, California, passed away at the age of 79 on June 13, 2021. Bob was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1942, and raised there as “Robbie” with pride and love by Anne nee Hengber and Benjamin Platkin, together with his older brother Stanley, younger brother Steven, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He earned a BA from Brooklyn College, where he studied psychology, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. Bob raised his family in West Simsbury, Connecticut, and made his living as a market research and advertising executive. He worked at Heublein managing brands such as Grey Poupon mustard and A.1. steaksauce, at STANLEY Tools promoting hand tools, and at Colt Firearms educating enthusiasts about vintage guns. Bob was an avid fisherman, and enjoyed taking his children out for mornings of simple rod and reel bait-fishing on quiet lakesides or on the Long Island Sound for deep sea blue fishing. On most Saturdays you could find Bob on the shores of a river watching each of his three children row crew. Any ride in Bob’s car (most notably a Volkswagen Rabbit) featured either 50s music or loud talk radio.
In the late 90s, Bob followed his son Cary to the West Coast to be part of the tech boom and enjoy the northern California sunshine. Bob loved California and spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the wildlife and fauna of his surroundings with his faithful and beloved partner of over 20 years, May Lin. In his retirement, he relished being a part of his California grandchildren’s lives, taking care of them after school and preparing homemade dinners for the family. He traveled with May to spend time with his grandchildren back home in Connecticut, as well as in London, Munich, New York City, and Washington, DC. Bob also enjoyed cooking many types of cuisines with May. He will always be remembered for his famous chocolate chip pancakes, baked bread, cheese sandwiches, and BBQ chicken.
Bob was an incredibly loving, supportive, and devoted son, partner, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend to those lucky enough to know him. He leaves his children, Melissa Chavin and her husband James of London, England, Cary Platkin and his wife Leslie McKnew of Burlingame, CA, and Jamie Sternberg and her husband Michael of West Simsbury, CT; his partner May Lin of San Bruno, CA, and her daughter Lin Wang; and eight grandchildren, Sabine and Romy Chavin, Aidan, Finn and Casey Platkin, and Ethan, Molly and Everett Sternberg.
Bob’s family will hold a private memorial service for him in July in Burlingame, California. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to have memorial donations made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate).
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