Obituary for Robb Edward Arent
Robb Edward Arent
February 23, 1964 ~ January 9, 2019
Leaving family, friends, and those around him heartbroken and stunned by his loss, Robb left this earth on January 9, 2019 at his apartment in New York City. Robb is survived by his beloved daughter Dunning Elizabeth Arent and his wife Jessie Krause. He is also survived by his sister Patricia Arent Luevano of North Carolina and uncle Philip Weihrauch and cousins in South Carolina, Florida, and Colorado, including Elaine Parrott, John (Judith) Giesin, and John (Helen) Dunning. Robb was predeceased by his father Edward Arent and his mother Elizabeth Weihrauch Arent, his maternal grandparents, Inez Dunning Weihrauch and Edward Weihrauch, and his parental grandparents. Mourning Robb’s loss is his wife Jessie’s family, including her parents William Krause and Sylvette de Aldrey Krause of Princeton, New Jersey, her sisters, Georgie (Troy) Sensing and Leslie Krause, as well as their children.
Robb has been blessed by loving, kind friends who embraced him as family throughout his life, including dear friends John and Andrea Limehouse of Charleston, S.C. and Kristin Bergstrom and Lloyd Dickinson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Also mourning his loss in Wisconsin are Lisa Lawless, his former wife and mother of his daughter, Lisa’s husband Mike, and Dunning’s stepsister Jordan Lawless, and his former parents-in-law Kenneth and Hattye Magee of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and many brothers and sisters in law and nieces and nephews in Lisa’s family as well as her extended family in Louisiana. Robb will be deeply missed by his long-time dear friends and colleagues Joe McNulty of New York City and Bob Leib of Mequon, Wisconsin, along with his wife Felice. Robb also leaves behind treasured friends, clients, colleagues, and classmates he’s had over the years, including Larry Cote and Bert Purvis. For the last 30 years, Robb has always had four-legged family members, and he is survived and missed by his beloved dogs Cocoa and Juniper. His family dogs Charlie, Tucker, Lacy, and Pitch predeceased him.
Without a doubt, a “renaissance man,” Robb has had an interesting life over the years and he pursued many varied interests both professionally and personally. After years in the corporate world, Robb gave it up to work with his wife, artist Jessie Krause, to fulfill her dream of owning an art gallery -- Netherfield Gallery in Frenchtown, New Jersey, later relocated to New Hope, Pennsylvania. At Netherfield, they displayed and sold Jessie’s art, primarily oils and pastel pieces, as well as print reproductions, and the art of other artists. Robb also assisted Jessie in placing her art in other venues throughout the east coast, including in New York City, and supported Jessie in running Jessie Krause Impressions, which provides Jessie’s art in the form of greeting cards. A humorous nod to his prior corporate life, Robb called himself the “CFO,” chief frame maker. He was also glycee print guru, creating large-scale prints of Jessie’s work. Robb would always lend a hand building things, framing art, and helping run the gallery. Even before the gallery was born, Robb shared his carpentry and building skills early in their courtship, supporting Jessie’s work in theatre design, building sets for stage performances at schools in New York City. Blending his artistic and carpentry interests, Robb developed his own furniture business, designing and building one-of-a-kind furniture pieces inspired by nature and George Nakashima. A lifelong chef, Robb always delighted in cooking for himself and his family, usually without a recipe, calling upon his experience and creativity to deliver delicious meals.
Robb passed down his love and talent for cooking to his daughter Dunning. Dunning and her father also had many adventures, traveling to South Carolina and to Disney World, taking in Broadway shows and other cultural adventures in New York City, and proudly watching her performance in her high school’s musical, “Anything Goes,” last spring. Named for Robb’s maternal grandmother, Dunning was the apple of Robb’s eye and his pride and joy. Robb likewise had many adventures with his wife Jessie over the years, traveling the United States and the world, visiting friends in South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Colorado, and making new friends in the United Kingdom. Robb edited books sharing Jessie’s art inspired by their travels and their home, including “Plein Air: The Delaware River”; “Plein Air: Southwest England”; and “The Chrysler Building Through the Eyes of Jessie Krause.”
With a lifelong passion for airplanes and flying, Robb was studying to obtain his pilot’s license. He loved serving as co-pilot in his friend Doug Hulse’s T-28 Warbird plane, flying from New Jersey to Wisconsin each summer. When he and Jessie resided in the charming town of Frenchtown, New Jersey, Robb entered public service, serving as a member of Frenchtown’s Borough Council from 2008 to 2014.
Alongside his lifelong pursuit of creative and artistic vocations and avocations, Robb had an equally varied and full career employing his financial, accounting, and business operations and valuation/analytical skills and education, most recently as Senior Tax Director at FFO LLC in New York City. He also provided business valuation and litigation support services through Arent Associates, Princeton Valuation Group, Wiss & Company, and RSM McGladrey. After graduating from law school, Robb briefly practiced law. Although he enjoyed his clients and his colleagues, he found that he preferred using his legal education to serve businesses and individuals in financial functions and business operations and business valuation/acquisitions.
In the late 1990’s/early 2000’s, Robb had an interesting and fulfilling foray into sports team management, serving as chief operating officer of Wisconsin Sports Management, the owner/operator of the Milwaukee Wave soccer team; as vice president of finance with the San Francisco Demons of the XFL, Vince McMahon’s football league; and in the late 1990’s, as vice president of finance with Berkman Sports Group, which operated minor league hockey and arena football teams. Robb also worked for Arthur Anderson, the Leib Group, and McNulty CPAs.
Robb’s work with sports teams traced its roots to his years covering professional sports as a writer. For seven years, during his time in Indiana and his early years in Milwaukee, Robb was a sports writer covering Indiana University basketball, the Indiana Pacers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Milwaukee Bucks. At the Bloomington Herald-Times, Robb worked with Fox Sports broadcaster Jason Whitlock in the early years of Jason’s career. In Indianapolis, Robb co-hosted a daily radio sports talk show and hosted a weekly call-in show on sports and collecting. Among his most interesting sports-related experiences, Robb took “Coaching Basketball,” a course at Indiana University, from legendary coach Bobby Knight, co-taught by assistant IU basketball coach Dan Dakich.
Robb received a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1991, a J.D. from Marquette University School of Law in 1996, concentrating in sports law and taxation, and graduated from St. Andrews Parish High School in Charleston, SC. Robb was a Certified Valuation Analyst meeting all the requirements of the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. He formerly was an attorney, licensed in the State of Wisconsin.
Born in Queens, he grew up in Beth Page, NY. He later moved to Charleston, SC, where he attended junior high and high school. Business-oriented from a young age, he strolled up to Limehouse Produce as a tween and became a valued employee during his years in Charleston. A lover of the South, Robb lived in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia before moving to Indiana to complete his business degree. For a number of years, he lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his daughter was born. Robb also lived in Atlanta, GA and Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County, CA. He returned to his East Coast roots 13 years ago, residing in New York City, Frenchtown, NJ, and Pipersville, PA.
On Sunday March 24, 2019 at noon, there will be a celebration of Robb’s life at Sky Manor Airport, 48 Sky Manor Road, in Pittstown, NJ. Should friends desire, contributions may be made to the educational fund of Dunning Elizabeth Arent, c/o Lisa Lawless, 2414 N. 85th Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53226.
For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit https://vhmfh.com/
Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home
21 York St
Lambertville NJ 08530
609-397-0105
February 23, 1964 ~ January 9, 2019
Leaving family, friends, and those around him heartbroken and stunned by his loss, Robb left this earth on January 9, 2019 at his apartment in New York City. Robb is survived by his beloved daughter Dunning Elizabeth Arent and his wife Jessie Krause. He is also survived by his sister Patricia Arent Luevano of North Carolina and uncle Philip Weihrauch and cousins in South Carolina, Florida, and Colorado, including Elaine Parrott, John (Judith) Giesin, and John (Helen) Dunning. Robb was predeceased by his father Edward Arent and his mother Elizabeth Weihrauch Arent, his maternal grandparents, Inez Dunning Weihrauch and Edward Weihrauch, and his parental grandparents. Mourning Robb’s loss is his wife Jessie’s family, including her parents William Krause and Sylvette de Aldrey Krause of Princeton, New Jersey, her sisters, Georgie (Troy) Sensing and Leslie Krause, as well as their children.
Robb has been blessed by loving, kind friends who embraced him as family throughout his life, including dear friends John and Andrea Limehouse of Charleston, S.C. and Kristin Bergstrom and Lloyd Dickinson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Also mourning his loss in Wisconsin are Lisa Lawless, his former wife and mother of his daughter, Lisa’s husband Mike, and Dunning’s stepsister Jordan Lawless, and his former parents-in-law Kenneth and Hattye Magee of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and many brothers and sisters in law and nieces and nephews in Lisa’s family as well as her extended family in Louisiana. Robb will be deeply missed by his long-time dear friends and colleagues Joe McNulty of New York City and Bob Leib of Mequon, Wisconsin, along with his wife Felice. Robb also leaves behind treasured friends, clients, colleagues, and classmates he’s had over the years, including Larry Cote and Bert Purvis. For the last 30 years, Robb has always had four-legged family members, and he is survived and missed by his beloved dogs Cocoa and Juniper. His family dogs Charlie, Tucker, Lacy, and Pitch predeceased him.
Without a doubt, a “renaissance man,” Robb has had an interesting life over the years and he pursued many varied interests both professionally and personally. After years in the corporate world, Robb gave it up to work with his wife, artist Jessie Krause, to fulfill her dream of owning an art gallery -- Netherfield Gallery in Frenchtown, New Jersey, later relocated to New Hope, Pennsylvania. At Netherfield, they displayed and sold Jessie’s art, primarily oils and pastel pieces, as well as print reproductions, and the art of other artists. Robb also assisted Jessie in placing her art in other venues throughout the east coast, including in New York City, and supported Jessie in running Jessie Krause Impressions, which provides Jessie’s art in the form of greeting cards. A humorous nod to his prior corporate life, Robb called himself the “CFO,” chief frame maker. He was also glycee print guru, creating large-scale prints of Jessie’s work. Robb would always lend a hand building things, framing art, and helping run the gallery. Even before the gallery was born, Robb shared his carpentry and building skills early in their courtship, supporting Jessie’s work in theatre design, building sets for stage performances at schools in New York City. Blending his artistic and carpentry interests, Robb developed his own furniture business, designing and building one-of-a-kind furniture pieces inspired by nature and George Nakashima. A lifelong chef, Robb always delighted in cooking for himself and his family, usually without a recipe, calling upon his experience and creativity to deliver delicious meals.
Robb passed down his love and talent for cooking to his daughter Dunning. Dunning and her father also had many adventures, traveling to South Carolina and to Disney World, taking in Broadway shows and other cultural adventures in New York City, and proudly watching her performance in her high school’s musical, “Anything Goes,” last spring. Named for Robb’s maternal grandmother, Dunning was the apple of Robb’s eye and his pride and joy. Robb likewise had many adventures with his wife Jessie over the years, traveling the United States and the world, visiting friends in South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Colorado, and making new friends in the United Kingdom. Robb edited books sharing Jessie’s art inspired by their travels and their home, including “Plein Air: The Delaware River”; “Plein Air: Southwest England”; and “The Chrysler Building Through the Eyes of Jessie Krause.”
With a lifelong passion for airplanes and flying, Robb was studying to obtain his pilot’s license. He loved serving as co-pilot in his friend Doug Hulse’s T-28 Warbird plane, flying from New Jersey to Wisconsin each summer. When he and Jessie resided in the charming town of Frenchtown, New Jersey, Robb entered public service, serving as a member of Frenchtown’s Borough Council from 2008 to 2014.
Alongside his lifelong pursuit of creative and artistic vocations and avocations, Robb had an equally varied and full career employing his financial, accounting, and business operations and valuation/analytical skills and education, most recently as Senior Tax Director at FFO LLC in New York City. He also provided business valuation and litigation support services through Arent Associates, Princeton Valuation Group, Wiss & Company, and RSM McGladrey. After graduating from law school, Robb briefly practiced law. Although he enjoyed his clients and his colleagues, he found that he preferred using his legal education to serve businesses and individuals in financial functions and business operations and business valuation/acquisitions.
In the late 1990’s/early 2000’s, Robb had an interesting and fulfilling foray into sports team management, serving as chief operating officer of Wisconsin Sports Management, the owner/operator of the Milwaukee Wave soccer team; as vice president of finance with the San Francisco Demons of the XFL, Vince McMahon’s football league; and in the late 1990’s, as vice president of finance with Berkman Sports Group, which operated minor league hockey and arena football teams. Robb also worked for Arthur Anderson, the Leib Group, and McNulty CPAs.
Robb’s work with sports teams traced its roots to his years covering professional sports as a writer. For seven years, during his time in Indiana and his early years in Milwaukee, Robb was a sports writer covering Indiana University basketball, the Indiana Pacers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Milwaukee Bucks. At the Bloomington Herald-Times, Robb worked with Fox Sports broadcaster Jason Whitlock in the early years of Jason’s career. In Indianapolis, Robb co-hosted a daily radio sports talk show and hosted a weekly call-in show on sports and collecting. Among his most interesting sports-related experiences, Robb took “Coaching Basketball,” a course at Indiana University, from legendary coach Bobby Knight, co-taught by assistant IU basketball coach Dan Dakich.
Robb received a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1991, a J.D. from Marquette University School of Law in 1996, concentrating in sports law and taxation, and graduated from St. Andrews Parish High School in Charleston, SC. Robb was a Certified Valuation Analyst meeting all the requirements of the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. He formerly was an attorney, licensed in the State of Wisconsin.
Born in Queens, he grew up in Beth Page, NY. He later moved to Charleston, SC, where he attended junior high and high school. Business-oriented from a young age, he strolled up to Limehouse Produce as a tween and became a valued employee during his years in Charleston. A lover of the South, Robb lived in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia before moving to Indiana to complete his business degree. For a number of years, he lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his daughter was born. Robb also lived in Atlanta, GA and Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County, CA. He returned to his East Coast roots 13 years ago, residing in New York City, Frenchtown, NJ, and Pipersville, PA.
On Sunday March 24, 2019 at noon, there will be a celebration of Robb’s life at Sky Manor Airport, 48 Sky Manor Road, in Pittstown, NJ. Should friends desire, contributions may be made to the educational fund of Dunning Elizabeth Arent, c/o Lisa Lawless, 2414 N. 85th Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53226.
For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit https://vhmfh.com/
Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home
21 York St
Lambertville NJ 08530
609-397-0105