Robert Daniel Wilson  |  1939 - 2017

Robert Daniel Wilson  |  1939 - 2017

It is my sad duty to report that our good friend Bob Wilson has passed away at Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, United States.  He was 78 years old.

Bob was born on January 14, 1939 in South Bound Brook, New Jersey.  It's hard for me to overstate the fullness of the life this man led. His wife, Berry Lynn Wilson, has kindly helped me to share some of those experiences with you here.  

In his youth, Bob distinguished himself as a musician and an athlete.  While in junior high school, he was accepted as a trumpet player in a high school marching band, which was quite unusual at the time.  He was also on swim teams in both junior high and high school.  In fact, his high school swim team won State Championships with Bob as a diver.

In 1956, Bob went into the Air Force and did his basic training.  After four months, he was sent to Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado for technical training in the area of thermo-nuclear weapons and weapons in general.  After working as a weapons mechanic, he was stationed at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base in Stevenville, Newfoundland, Canada, where he worked on the F89D Jet Fighter Interceptors.  His job was to load the aircraft with rockets and missiles and maintain the weapons systems.  He was then transferred to Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked on the F102A aircraft. While there, he also played semi-pro baseball as a shortstop and right fielder.

It was during this time that Bob first got involved in auto racing.  He went to races at Jefferson Speedway in Wisconsin, where he got to know some of the drivers and mechanics.  The next thing you know, he was in a race car!   From 1958 to 1960, Bob raced mostly at Jefferson Speedway.  From 1960 to 1969, he was involved in auto racing as a driver and a mechanic for several other drivers.  1968 saw Bob's first involvement with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, an organization that he would eventually lead as President for four years.  This was the series in which Bob drove one of the first rear-engined midgets.  In 1975, Bob had the good fortune to be part of Mike Mosley's pit crew at Wisconsin State Fair Park.  

After Bob's racing career ended, he displayed an amazing versatility that I find very inspiring. He was a member of the Professional Bowlers Association from 1980 to 1984.  He also worked as an inpatient alcoholism counselor for Depaul Rehabilitation Hospital.  He even became a licensed private detective in 1990, eventually starting his own detective agency. From 1992 to 1997, he was a part-time volunteer Auxiliary Milwaukee Police Officer. Bob also had a passion for wildlife, and enjoyed interacting with the woodland creatures near his home.

In his later years, Bob struggled with emphysema.  But he never let this disease keep him from enjoying life or exploring new horizons.  He told me time and again that his involvement with HSO greatly enhanced his life, and he loved that he was able to race and collaborate with people from all over the world.  Recently, he was made part of the Factory staff, and was providing valuable insights for projects we are working on.

I know Bob thought the world of HSO and the community here, and I know many of you respected him as a competitor and as an all-around great person.  He was a truly unique individual.  Irreplaceable.  My heart goes out to Berry Lynn and Bob's family; I hope they will find comfort in knowing that Bob had an amazing journey through life, and he remained active, vital, and engaged right to the very end. He will be missed.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Bob was truly a first-rate guy. I had my first online HSO test session with him. He was so positive and encouraging. His stories enthralled me, and I knew HSO was the right place for me. While I regret not getting to drive with him any more than I did, I am grateful to have made his acquaintance.

Godspeed, Bob Wilson

I am truly sad to hear that Bob has passed.  We had joined HSO at nearly the same time. I very much enjoyed our time together on the practice server. I felt I should have mapped a button to say "Hi Bob!"

Requiem

Rest in peace Bob.

You lead a great life, and we were all lucky enough to be slightly involved in it.

Triste nouvelle... je l'ai malheureusement peu connu, mais suffisamment pour être entraîné, malgré la barrière de la langue, par son enthousiasme communicatif et sa gentillesse.

J'espère qu'il aura pris autant de plaisir que moi à rouler avec lui durant ces quelques courses.

Reposes en paix, Bob.

This is so sad to hear. He lived an amazing, inspirational life, and his spirit really made a difference here. I'm glad that we here on a little simracing league could give him something in return.

Rest In Peace, Bob.

It's so hard to express with words the sadness   

He was such a great guy, so full of life and joy -more than many way younger people I have known- that it is really difficult to accept that he passed away so quickly. His life was indeed inspirational in many regards, and I have yet to hear anyone complain about anything he did or said or even did not do or say. He was exemplary on the track and out of it, always helpful and enthusiastic. But as my late grandmother used to say, God must be specially proud of some of his best creations, because he takes them away too soon from us, to enjoy them by his side.

Rest in peace racer. Your memory will stay with us 

 Not a happy day for HSO and so sad we couldnt see him in another indy 500,  but i am very glad our modding work and league brought joy to him. Life is always too short for those who leave such a positive mark behind them,  but the memory lives on.

I did not have a chance to race or talk with the Bob here and Jason´s post makes me sorrowful because of that. What I read shows me that Bob live active and eventful live what could make these hard times a little bit easier for his family and friends.

Rest in peace Bob

Very sad news indeed... As little as some of us knew Bob, it was enough to know he was a true gentleman and a racing enthusiast through and through. HSO can take pride in having had such a distinguished individual as part of its community. He will be missed, but never forgotten. Au revoir, dear Bob.

It's the kind of news you really don't want to read. Bob always came across as a true enthusiast, ever positive, kind and helpful. A true gentleman, the kind of guy you couldn't say a bad word about.

I had no idea he'd lived such an active life, but I hope he enjoyed his time at HSO and I'm happy to have shared the track with him; always happy to share a setup, trustworthy when battling at 200 mph and not the man to give up quickly.

Rest in peace Bob. Thanks for the memories, we won't forget you.

It was a joy to simrace with Bob and I was his teammate last year when we worked on setups together. I will miss you Bob.
A genuine nice guy you will be missed at HSO.

Here comes the saddest news this year.

I'm honor to have raced with him last year in USAC. His departure is a big lost for all of us

I'll quote Georges Brassens and "les copains d'abord" to better express the void I'll left here

Quand l'un d'entre eux manquait a bord
C'est qu'il était mort
Oui, mais jamais, au grand jamais
Son trou dans l'eau n'se refermait
Cent ans après, coquin de sort
Il manquait encore

My thoughts go to his familly who must live a very very hard time right now.

So long Bob, may you enjoy watching us racing in your memory in the following round of HSO championship

Very sad to hear from his passing. I can't remember how much, if at all I had the honor to be practicing with him at all but from what I've read he was a real good driver.
Au revoir, rest in peace, Ruhe in Frieden Bob. 

What terrible news I can only agree with what has already been said; his enthusiasm and politeness was something to admire, he was a real gentleman. He will be dearly missed

Rest in peace Bob.

These are very sad news indeed. 

I never had a proper opportunity to race with Bob but I had the immense joy to chat with him, though briefly, ahead of the one-off oval event earlier this year and it's a moment I will treasure as well as seeing him enjoy himself in the 73 USAC cars last year. 

My thoughts goes to his family and friends in this difficult time but hopefully knowing that Bob touched and enlightened a great many lives during his time on earth will make it easier to endure. 

I really hope they have everything you need above the clouds Bob, enjoy tour self and I hope we'll make you proud in our virtual racing endeavours 

A great loss to hso,had some great chats with him on the server,my thoughts are with his family and friends,he will be greatly missed in the sim racing world and the real world,a true Gentleman and all round nice Guy RIP Bob.

Such a sad news. He was so great and kind in helping other drivers on track and let them learn how to drive an oval. We had personal email contact and i wanted to help him with the road courses this season. Instead i drove for him at Long Beach and now this sad news
Such an active live he had lived, my thoughts are with his family.
I will remember him every race from now on as the great person he was.

Im shocked and sad.

He enjoyed here with us, so I was with him. Had few conversations. Just sad.

There is nothing more to say.

My life is so much richer for knowing Bob, and the trip I took to meet him and Berry Lynn was exactly what you would expect. Bob was the same guy in person that you saw on the forum. Friendly, warm, polite and above all, sincere. The thing I will remember most about Bob is how often he reinvented himself in life; that takes true determination and grit.  And even when faced with a terminal disease, he continued to enjoy his life. I really can't stress enough how much he loved racing with us. I wish he could read all these glowing tributes; it's clear he made a tremendous impact on us in a very short time.

So sad.  Bob was the most generous sim racer I have ever met.  When practicing on the server together he was always happy to suggest a better way around and he always, always shared his latest setup.  I am a faster and better racer, and arguably a better human being, because of knowing Bob.  We have lost a true gentleman racer.  RIP Bob.


[Thanks for the memorial Jason.]

Rest in peace Bob. Very sad news.

that's so sad. but it sounds like he had quite the life.

rest in peace.

Je me plais à lire et à relire son message, écrit lors de son anniversaire. Il résume si bien ce qu'était Bob.

Sad news indeed. That little bit of contact I had with Bob were a real treat, a very nice character, always helpful.