Robert "Bob" Brody

He was born on June 16, 1937 in Jersey City, New Jersey to Leo and Mollie Brody, Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Poland, respectively. Bob grew up in New Jersey attending prep school at both the Peddie and Hun Schools and from an early age had an affinity for learning foreign languages. After a short introduction to college at Middlebury College in Vermont, Bob took a break from his studies and served in the United States Army.

Following Army service, Bob attended Rutgers University, where he met his wife of 50 years, Lynne M. Brody and obtained a B.A. Bob continued his scholarship, by completing an M.A. from University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, in Latin American Literature. After initially teaching at Columbia University, Bob accepted a position in the Spanish Department at the University of Texas at Austin in 1974, where he taught for many years, was promoted to Full Professor, and served for a period of time as chair of the department before retiring in 1997.

Since his retirement, Bob has returned to his love of theater, acting in local productions, doing voice work, and even traveling to Denmark to star in a short film entitled "A Glass of Tea", which is to be featured at the Austin Jewish Film Festival in March. In a recent interview published in "The Jewish Outlook", Bob described the experience of traveling to Denmark and making the movie as "the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life." Bob also enjoyed traveling with his wife, Lynne Brody, spending time with his children and grandchildren, and exercising daily until even after his illness progressed.

Bob is survived by his wife Lynne M. Brody, of Austin, Texas; daughter Dana Brody-Brown (Shannon C. Brown) of San Jose, California, daughter Gillian Brody-Wilcox (David F. Wilcox) of Austin, Texas; grandchildren Naomi Pearl Brown, Lucas Alexander Brown, and Genevieve Lula Wilcox; sister Rhoda Levine, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey; and his faithful Labrador Retriever, Rosie.

Burial will take place on Friday February 24th at Austin Memorial Park at 9:30 AM, officiated by Rabbi Alan Freedman, followed by a memorial service at 10:30 AM at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society http://main.acsevents.org/goto/robertbrody

Bob's vitality and tenacity through years of cancer is a testament to his strength of character. His energetic personality and sonorous voice will be missed by all who knew him