Robert J. Schiller, 93, of Canton, MA, formerly of Waban, MA, and Newton Centre, MA, died after a brief illness, in hospice at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Wednesday, May 20, 2015.
Bob was born in Cambridge, MA. He attended Brookline High School and was a 1943 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, studying math, physics and chemistry. In both high school and college he was a member of the swimming team, becoming particularly accomplished as a springboard diver. Upon graduation from college, he enlisted in the US Navy, serving as a Lieutenant during World War II while stationed in the Philippines.
In 1951 he graduated from Boston College Law School, first in his class. After working briefly in the general practice of law, he joined the nascent Polaroid Corporation, where he was able to combine his science background with the law, becoming one of its in-house patent attorneys. In the early 1960s, he left Polaroid for Epsco Inc., of Westwood, MA, an early startup technology company, as Patent Counsel. In the late 1960s, Bob entered private patent practice, first, with Rosen & Schiller in Chestnut Hill, MA, then, for more than 20 years, as partner in the firm he co-founded, Schiller & Pandiscio, in Waltham, MA. In 1990, he became Of Counsel at the Boston firm, Gaston & Snow, and a couple of years later, until his retirement in 2002, at Lappin & Kusmer. For many years, Bob was an Adjunct Professor of patent law at Boston College Law School.
Bob married Phyllis Mamber, his wife of 67 years, in 1947. The couple raised their two children, Rob and Heidi, in Brookline and Newton, MA. For the last seven years, he and Phyllis lived at the retirement community Orchard Cove in Canton, MA. His three siblings, Florence Ryack, William Schiller, and Barbara Osborne predeceased him. He is survived by his wife Phyllis; his son Robert J. Schiller Jr. and his wife Susan Jensen; his daughter Heidi Schiller and her husband Fletcher Blanchard; and his three grandchildren, Benjamin Schiller, Harry Schiller, and Ruby Schiller.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00pm, May 25, 2015, at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels, 475 Washington St., Canton, MA, burial at Sharon Memorial Park to follow. Donations in Bob’s name may be made to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center c/o Nursing Education and Research Fund, Office of Development, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.
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