Robert A. Posner

Bob grew up in Whitestone, Queens, where his family lived above his father’s pharmacy. The first in his family to go to college, he graduated from Cornell University in 1955 with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Just three months before graduation, he met his future wife, Janet, at a fraternity party. His first words to her, "How tall are you?" (He was 6"4"). She NEVER told him how tall she really was.

After graduation, and the then obligatory army service, he and Janet married in 1957 and had two children. The family loved to go to the beaches in the Hamptons and the Caribbean. During this time Bob was selling satellite ground stations and telecommunications equipment for ITT, RCA, and Rockwell, and traveling the world to see his customers in places like Australia, Pakistan, Peru, Bangladesh, Japan, India, Iran, and even Vietnam during the war!

Bob was among the first to see the potential in voice mail and was so successful that he became known as the Father of Voice Mail Sales. From then on, he delighted in working for start-up technical companies.

After retirement he was thrilled to welcome the four grandchildren that he adored and to be able to spend more time traveling the world to China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Eastern Europe and France.

His last two years, sadly, were spent battling the brain cancer that would kill him. He never gave up and endured two surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, and a clinical trial, but unfortunately was unable to prevail.

Private Funeral Service

The family will be receiving friends 1pm-5pm on Sunday October 27th at the residence.

Should friends desire, contributions may be made in Robert's memory to: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC

Please take a moment to sign this online guestbook. You may leave a note for the family or perhaps a memory you would like to share. A Virtual Candle may also be placed in the guestbook if you wish. We at Gutterman-Musicant wish to express our heartfelt thanks on behalf of the mourners for your support during this difficult time.