Robert P. Straub

Robert Perrin Straub was born on April 1st, 1932, in New Rochelle, New York to Robert and Virginia Straub. His sister, Jackie, was born in 1934 (died in 2022). As a child, Robert loved cars, airplanes, and other modes of transportation. He was very artistic and quickly learned to draw and build model cars and (civilian) planes. He got so good with models, that, by his early teens, he was building wooden airplane models from scratch. He attended college at Syracuse University in New York state, the University of Cincinnati, and finally, the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, which led him to a design job at General Motors in Detroit. In 1961, he met the love of his life, Elke Overbeck, on a singles cruise in Detroit, Michigan. They were married in 1964 and had their first child, Gregory John Straub, in 1965. In 1970, their second child, Brian Robert Straub, was born. Robert worked for General Motors in Detroit, designing the interior of cars with an emphasis on safety. Later jobs included designing games (including being on the team that created the game Connect Four) for Milton Bradley, working for the Rouse Company, the City of Baltimore, and moving his family to England for a year to design toys for Granta Corporation. In the mid-1970’s, Robert struck out on his own founding and running his own company, Environmental Product and Design. In that time, he designed tools and domestic products for Black & Decker and dredges for Ellicott Dredges among many other jobs. He successfully supported a family of four independently for many years until his retirement in the mid-1990’s. Robert has lived with his family in Michigan, Massachusetts, Baltimore, MD (more than once), and England. He finally settled his family (for the third time) in Windsor Hills, in the northwest of Baltimore City, Maryland. In his free time, Robert amassed an amazing world class toy and model collection of cars and planes, produced a book of his own text and photographs called Classics On The Street: An Automotive Odyssey France 1953, traveled with and without his family, visited many toy shows, car shows, and airplane shows including the annual EAA show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for many years, wrote for and got published in several car and airplane magazines, and became a well-respected and loved member of these communities. Robert was an engaged and loving husband, father, neighbor, friend, and mentor who cared for others, mentored a teen boys group who stayed in touch with him for decades after, became a conscientious objector, and always had time for others in need of his love and support. He is survived by his wife, Elke Straub, and two sons, Greg and Brian Straub.

Robert P. Straub

April 1, 1932 - January 1, 2025

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Robert P. Straub

April 1, 1932 - January 1, 2025

About Us

What We Do

Contact Us

Grief & Healing

Plan Ahead

Obituaries

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