Robert Rigney McNamara 1962-2024
Robert Rigney McNamara, beloved son of the late Thomas and Rita (Rigney) McNamara, died peacefully at his home on December, 18th, 2024. Born on January 7th, 1962, he was preceded in death by his parents, his infant brother Thomas W. McNamara, Jr. and his sister Michelle McNamara. He is survived by his wife Suzanne (Muslin) McNamara; his children (4): Elizabeth, Thomas, Colleen (fiancé: Michael Miller), and Sean; his sisters Margo (Gerry) Chadwick, Maureen (Brent) Stratton, Kathleen (Kevin) Conroy, and Mary Rita (Steve) Skrine; and his beloved seventeen nieces and nephews.
Robert, or as he’d prefer to be called, Bob, was raised in Oak Park and River Forest, in a close-knit, Irish-Catholic community. He grew up as the only son in a family of six, and although he loved to describe the experience as ‘emotionally scarring,’ it was something that helped shape him into the kind, loving, and patient man he became. Throughout Bob’s childhood, attending St. Edmunds in Oak Park for grade school, he forged friendships and bonds that he would keep until the very end of his life.
Bob followed in his father’s footsteps educationally, attending Fenwick High School, before completing his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in History. Notre Dame was always another home for him, and he would never hesitate to make the drive to Indiana for tailgates, reunions, or a slice of pizza at Rocco’s.
Upon graduating in 1984, Bob began law school at Loyola University of Chicago. Here, he took the first steps of what would become a long, fruitful career as a lawyer in the Chicagoland area, specializing in Corporate Litigation and Dangerous and Defective products.
More importantly than any law class, however, it was at Loyola Chicago where he met Suzanne Muslin, with whom he enjoyed over 30 years of beautiful marriage. Even though Bob and Suzy had grown up in families that couldn’t be more different, they could not have been more perfect for each other. They were married on January 2nd, 1988, in Chicago, and soon after settled down in Wilmette.
It was in Wilmette where Bob fulfilled his role as a loving father, as he and Suzy had four beautiful children from 1988 to 1998. They would be incredibly loving parents to Elizabeth, Thomas, Colleen, and Sean, and Bob would instill his kids with the same sense of humor and kindness that he carried within himself.
Never one to separate work from play, Bob enjoyed a wide variety of leisurely activities. He loved the games of tennis and golf, playing them from a young age until he was no longer capable, and would often lend the advice that “golf and tennis were the only sports a man needed.” Between his inherent friendliness and his athletic talent, Bob was a popular golfing partner at Westmoreland Golf Club, and at any of the courses he played at around the world. Along with his love for sports, he was equally content to spend a given day comfortably sitting in a loveseat poring over a book while listening to some music.
Above any leisurely activity, though, Bob loved spending time with his family. He was at his happiest when he was around his wife and four children, sharing life, love, and laughter together as a family. He also loved being a part of a large, loving Irish-Catholic family, as he would always look forward to holidays and vacations spent with his parents, sisters, in-laws and nieces and nephews.
It was at their family’s lake house in Palisades Park, Michigan, where he most enjoyed spending time with his family. He spent many a night smiling, enjoying a Miller Lite on the deck of their cabin, Toplofty, as the sun dipped below Lake Michigan, surrounded by his family. Here, he was at his happiest; cracking jokes, relaxing at the beach, and being a wonderful son, father, husband, brother, and uncle to those who he loved dearest. He would be the instigator of so much laughter, the provider of so much wisdom, and calming hand in many a challenging moment his family was faced with.
As a person, Bob was quick-witted, intelligent, humble, and caring. He was quick with gentle humor and sympathy, and slow with judgement or vindictiveness. He would never force his opinions and feelings onto other people, and would be as attentive of a listener as he was a speaker. He sought to be kind to as many as he could, and in doing so created a vast network of incredible friends, to whom he would never hesitate to lend a helping hand to, as they would to him. No one who knew Bob would struggle to tell you what a kind and loving person he was. His decency was always at the forefront, and he extended a hand of comfort and sympathy to all who he encountered.
It’s not hard to imagine that Bob is now in Heaven, enjoying an eternity of sunsets across Lake Michigan with those who have preceded him, as he keeps a life’s worth of seats warm for those that will follow him.