Rob Retz was born October 20, 1947, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Ronald and Esther Retz. He grew up in Oshkosh where he attended elementary and high school. While growing up, his hobbies included collecting stamps and coins, reading, and running track. He was an only child and was adored by his parents. His mother used to pull him around town in a wagon. They would make trips to the hardware store where he would pick out what he wanted and go home to build projects. The family had a cabin in northern Wisconsin where he and his father would go deer hunting and trout fishing. He had a dog, Joe, two guinea pigs, Alvin and Elma and two imaginary friends, Joe Congress and Fritz Krugger. He was careful to remind his daughters that Krugger was spelled with a k and two g's and that he was young at the time and didn't know how to spell.

He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he ran track, received a BA in Russian language in 1969 and continued on to do graduate work in Russian history until 1972. He met Margaret Schieble in college the spring of 1967. Rob and Margaret dated for two years and were married January 25, 1969 in Pewaukee Wisconsin. Their first daughter, Nicole, was born October 29, 1971, and their second daughter, Angela, November 29, 1974.

Rob and Margaret moved to Oregon the summer of 1972. Rob worked as an automotive mechanic at MB Motors until 1980 when he began working as an automotive tool distributor for MAC Tools. He later became and independent distributor and continued to operate independently until the summer of 2002 when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Rob was a history buff and was great at trivia. He only drank Coke and always traveled with his own supply. He listened to opera and classical music. In 2000, he began a hobby in woodworking. You could often find him out in the garage making a table or a cabinet, and it was in the garage where he discovered he was allergic to a number of exotic woods. His favorite place to shop was Home Depot, and he would make several trips there in a weekend. He eventually accumulated a collection of woodworking tools and turned his garage in to a wood shop. He loved Basset Hound dogs. It was a love that began when his oldest daughter came home from college with tan and white Basset Hound named Wally. Wally later came to live with Rob and Margaret. Two more Bassett Hounds, Daisy and Bunny, in later years followed.

Rob began collecting coins as a child and later returned to the hobby in the 1980s. He began by collecting gold pieces, slowly shifted to colonial coins and eventually focused on the Fugio variety. He was an original member of the Willamette Coin Club, and a member of the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association (PNNA), the American Numismatic Association (ANA), Early American Coppers (EAC) and the Colonial Collectors Coin Club (C4). He served six years as President of the Willamette Coin Club, was the Bourse Chairman of six PNNA conventions, served as a past C4 Board Member and had numerous articles published by the Colonial Newsletter Foundation. He had a passion for numismatics, which resulted in a large network of friends spread throughout the country. The license plate on his car read "Fugio".

Rob was diagnosed with pleomorphic liposarcoma in August 2002 after having a tumor in his chest removed. He underwent five months of chemotherapy and was in remission for six months until August 2003, when he learned it was active again. From that time on, Rob spent a majority of his time with his family and friends. He made a trip to New York in October for the Ford Auction and a trip to Boston in November for C4's annual convention. The trips to New York and Boston were very special to him. He used the opportunities to introduce his family to his numismatic life, share a draft of his book, Fugio Copper Notes, with curious numismatists and say good-bye to his friends. He was at peace with his illness: after a lot of thought, he had come to the conclusion that if he had been given a choice to die unexpectedly or from a terminal illness, he would have chosen what he had. With this option, he was able to say everything he wanted, and he got to say good-bye. Rob passed away peacefully at home on Monday, May 17, 2004, at 6:30pm with his wife and daughters at his side. He is dearly missed.

Rob's family would like to thank the Willamette Coin Club, which is in the process of establishing the Rob Retz Memorial Exhibit Award to promote numismatic education and his numerous friends who are working to get Fugio Copper Notes published by the Colonial Coin Collectors Club. Thank you for honoring his memory.