Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to express a personal note of grief and fond remembrance as I pay tribute to one of my dearest friends, Bob…”

“I rise to express a personal note of grief and fond remembrance as I pay tribute to one of my dearest friends, Bob Winer, who passed away on July 18. Bob was born in Brooklyn, NY, moved to New Jersey, and joined the Navy when he was 17 and proudly served in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he joined his two brothers in a clothing manufacturing business begun by their father many years earlier. The company, Winer Industries, was located in Paterson, NJ, where I was born. I first met Bob when I called upon him to use my company--ADP--to handle his payroll and other data processing needs. He became a client and a good friend almost immediately; our friendship grew and grew over the next 40 years. Bob truly was larger than life. We shared common interests like skiing, boating, and feasting. Bob had a zest for living that few could match. He traveled extensively. He enjoyed spear-fishing, often surrounded by sharks and barracuda, and taught his children and his friends to be comfortable in that environment. He owned airplanes and was a great pilot with thousands of hours to his credit, and I spent many hours as his co-pilot. He suggested that I take flying lessons, asking me what I might do if he suddenly "slumped over the wheel." My response was that if that were to happen, I would slump over the wheel, too! He seemed indestructible. The best thing about Bob's zeal for living was his insistence on sharing it with lots of family and friends.”