Robert L. Pendergast

Robert “Bob” L. Pendergast, MD died at the age of 76 on February 19, 2021 at 1:37 pm at Agnesian Hospice Home of Hope. He is survived by his wife, Elaine (née Listwan); son, Robert (Heather); daughter, Julie (Ryan) Brady; granddaughter, Anna Pendergast; three siblings, Judy (Edward) Richter, Thomas (Karen Szpajer) and Mary; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Born in Evanston, Illinois on August 4, 1944, Bob attended the University of Notre Dame and Marquette Medical School (now, Medical College of Wisconsin).  He completed his residency in Urology at Marquette Medical College and internship at St. Joseph Hospital in Milwaukee where he met Elaine in 1970 and married in 1972. He was a Capitan in the US Army Medical Corps, serving in Vietnam from 1971 – 1972, and then in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bob was awarded the Bronze Star and the US Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” Device.

Bob later joined a Urological medical practice in the greater Houston, Texas area in 1978, where he and his family resided for nearly 21 years before moving to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  He retired from private practice in 2005 and continued on a part-time basis with the Medical College of Wisconsin until 2010 and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Hospital in Milwaukee until 2015.

Bob had many hobbies and interests, including being an avid sportsman (hunting, fishing, shooting, birdwatching), gardening, wood- and leather-working, knife making, radio building and collecting, learning code, photography, and astronomy. He also had a keen interest in airplanes, attending airshows in Chicago, Houston, and Oshkosh over the last 40 years. Always a scientist, he found great joy in studying and experiencing nature during the entirety of his life and enjoyed teaching as much as learning.  He was happiest with his family and in “God’s Country”, which included Wisconsin, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Hawaii. He is beloved by his family and will be greatly missed.

The visitation will be held Friday, February 26, 2021 from 10:00 – 11:00 AM at Uecker-Witt Funeral Home.  The funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday at the funeral home followed by military honors.  Due to Emergency Order #1 under Executive Order #105, masks are required while in attendance at the funeral home. Cremation will follow the traditional services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to support the Urology Department can be made to the Medical College of Wisconsin, Attn: Office of Institutional Advancement, P.O. Box 26509, Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509.  Memorial gifts may also be made on the online donation form at https://mcwsupport.mcw.edu/makeagift

Guestbook and tribute wall may be found by visiting ueckerwitt.com.