Robert W. Minor

Robert W. Minor of Naples, FL, formerly of Columbus, OH, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, June 26th. Born Dec 15, 1919, in Columbus, Ohio to the late Helen Bergman and Walter Henry Minor. He graduated from Bexley High School in 1936 and went on to The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, he was elected to the Men’s Class Honoraries, Romophos, Bucket & Dipper, and Sphinx. He served as President of his chapter of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and was elected as Senior Class President for The OSU class of 1940. He was later recognized as one of the University’s 100 Distinguished Alumni. Upon graduation, his longstanding passion for performing and deep involvement in The Ohio State Theatre program as a member of Strollers led him to a brief career on stage, touring the country as a Vaudevillian performer for the Major Bowes Troupe. His theatrical aspirations were cut short by the war. He enlisted as a private in the US Army, graduated from Officers Candidate School, and joined the 29th Division as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry, where he served from their famed Omaha Beach landing on D-Day until the end of the war. He was awarded the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, multiple campaign ribbons and was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel. He returned to Columbus and enrolled at The OSU College of Law and graduated first in his class in 1948.

While in law school, he met Joan Allen, the love of his life. They married in 1947 and shared a rich and varied life for over 64 years - a life and career that took them from Washington, D.C. to New York, around the world, and eventually back home to their Ohio roots.

As a young man in Washington, he had the opportunity to serve in both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the US Government. In 1948 he served as Administrative Assistant to Sen. John Bricker of Ohio; in 1953 he joined the Justice Department as First Deputy Assistant Attorney General; and in 1956 he was appointed by President Eisenhower as the youngest ever Commissioner to the Interstate Commerce Commission. He served on the Commission until 1958, at which time he joined the New York Central Railroad as its Legal Vice-President. Following the merger with the Pennsylvania Railroad, he became the Legal and Senior Vice-President of the Penn Central Railroad. He joined the Columbus law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease in 1971, where he practiced as a partner representing regulated industries until his retirement in 1990. His commitment to community service continued and he served as the Chairman of the Board of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Through the years, he was a member of at least eight golf clubs, maintaining a sincere, if unrewarded, enthusiasm for the game. He was a brilliant, kind, gentle, and humble man who will be terribly missed by all who knew and loved him, but especially by his loving wife, Joan Allen Minor, and their children Robert A. (Sue) Minor, Mary Ann (Robert) List, Emily Minor Smith, Julia Minor (Charles) Hoffman, eight grandchildren (Robert B. and Sarah A. Minor, Katherine and Stephen Smith, Carrie and Charles Hoffman, and Robert and Elizabeth List), his brother Charles Daniel Minor, and many nieces and nephews.

Family will receive friends Monday, July 2, 2012 from 5-8pm at Schoedinger Northwest Chapel, 1740 Zollinger Road, Columbus. The funeral service will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Camphill Soltane, a residential community for children with special needs. Camphill Soltane, 224 Nantmeal Road, Glenmoore, PA 19343.