Posted on 12/09/2019
Robert N. "Bob" Liston, a former Chicago insurance executive and devoted family man, died on Nov. 26 at his home in Sarasota, Fla.
Born on Chicago's north side on Christmas Day in 1933, Bob was a devout Roman Catholic, a third-generation Irish-American and a US history buff. He graduated from Saint George High School in Chicago and attended the U.S. Naval Academy. Bob's military career was cut short by the death of his father, John Liston, necessitating Bob's return to Illinois to care for his mother, Marguerite. While at home, he graduated from Loyola University and later joined the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer stationed in Washington, D.C.
Once his military service ended, Bob returned to Chicago and became a stockbroker. He started a family that eventually grew to three daughters. He later built a successful career in the insurance industry, becoming an underwriting executive at CNA Insurance and Shand Morahan & Co.
At the peak of his career, he married his long-time and beloved wife, Anne. They attended St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Evanston and later St. Jude Catholic Church in Sarasota, Fla., where the Listons resided for 21 years.
In his retirement, Bob and Anne enjoyed socializing with friends, spending time with his grandchildren, reading non-fiction and presiding over regular weekly coffees to talk politics and current affairs with his friends.
Bob is survived by his wife, Anne; daughters Ann (Dave) McKinney, of Chicago, Susan (Jason) Hellickson, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Kate (Mitchell) Payne, of Tulsa, Okla.; stepsons Don (Kim) MacGregor, of Elmhurst, and Michael (Moira) MacGregor, of Chicago; grandchildren Nolan, Molly and Tanner Hellickson and Colin, Sean, Tess, Patrick and Michael MacGregor; and his canine companion, Skipper.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, John "Jack" (Peg) Liston, and sister Marguerite "Jo" Liston.
Visitation: Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, 9:30 a.m. until time of Funeral Mass 10:00 a.m. at St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church, 9248 N. Lawndale Ave., Evanston. Private Interment at All Saints Catholic Cemetery in Des Plaines. In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial contribution to the Juvenile Diabetes Research fund at JDRF.org.
Published in a Chicago Tribune Media Group Publication on Dec. 8, 2019