Robert (Bob) John Zylkowski, age 84, passed away peacefully at sunrise on Palm Sunday morning, April 13, 2025, surrounded by his family at his home in Clermont, Florida. Born on March 27, 1941, in Menominee, Michigan, to his parents Lawrence and Virginia (Menor) Zylkowski, Bob attended Our Lady of Lourdes grade/high school from 1st through 11th grades. In 1959, he was a member of the first graduation class from Marinette Catholic Central High School, when the Lourdes name was changed.
After graduation, Bob spent the next four years in the Marines and was discharged in July 1963, after serving during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His time in the Marines instilled in him the values of honor, courage, and commitment—principles that would guide him for the rest of his life. On November 14, 1964, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Marinette, Wisconsin, Bob married a school classmate, LaRonde MacBride, that he had dated since his discharge from the Marines. After their marriage, they lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Bob worked at Fort Howard Paper Company.
In 1969, after spending spring vacation in Florida, Bob and his wife moved to the Tampa/Clearwater area with their one-year-old daughter, Ann Renee. This enabled Bob to pursue his dream of earning his culinary degree and landing a job at Walt Disney World on September 1, 1971. He was an opening-day cast member when the Magic Kingdom theme park opened on October 1, 1971, where he brought culinary delight to countless guests as a chef at Disney for three decades. He began working at the Main Street restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, including the Crystal Palace. His favorite job later was at the Fort Wilderness Campground at Bay Lake, as he loved fishing there when not working. Bob also enjoyed bowling, playing smear and cribbage, cheering on the Green Bay Packers, and volunteering in the community with other cast members. He and his wife were Disney VoluntEARS at Give Kids the World in nearby Kissimmee, Florida.
After retiring from Disney on May 1, 2001, Bob dedicated himself to his greatest joy—his family. He taught his grandchildren some of his baking and cooking skills in the kitchen, and during their summer vacations, they came to Marinette and spent time at the Moose Lodge Campground with their grandparents. They loved fishing and swimming in the Menominee River and the good food at the Lodge on weekends.
Bob is survived by his wife, LaRonde; daughter Ann Renee Bell and husband Earlest; son Daniel Zylkowski and wife Viviane; grandchildren Robert and Kayla Bell, Chloe, Alexia, and Thomas Zylkowski; sister Antoinette Tappy and sister-in-law Marlene Aissen. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, infant daughter Mary Roberta, sister Judy Mollus and husband Paul, brothers-in-law Roger Tappy and Werner Aissen.
Visitation was held on Monday, April 21, 2025, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. at Winter Oak Funeral Home in Winter Garden, Florida. On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 12:30 p.m., Military Honors were provided by the U.S. Marine Corps at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. At the conclusion, Bob’s 11-year-old granddaughter, Alexia Zylkowski, stood at the foot of his casket and sang the Amazing Grace version of My Chains are Gone, I’ve Been Set Free, followed by his wife leading everyone in the Our Father that Bob and his family prayed with him at the close of each day.
