My dear friend, Rob Mesirow, died on April 22. He was 57. I am heartbroken.
Rob was one of those rare people who made everyone around him better. He listened, really listened, in a way that made you feel like the only person in the room. In an industry full of people waiting for their turn to talk, Rob was waiting to understand. He was the person I called when I needed a sounding board, not because he would tell me what I wanted to hear, but because he would ask the hard questions.
We came up through the consumer electronics and wireless worlds together. Rob started at the Consumer Electronics Association in 1989 and helped build CES into the global platform it is today. He spent 17 years at CTIA, where he shaped the standards for global roaming and wireless interoperability that most of us take for granted every time we use our phones. He became a partner at PwC, running their Connected Solutions practice, accumulated 36 patents, and earned designation as an IoT Fellow at the World Economic Forum. His resume was extraordinary, but that’s not what made Rob extraordinary.
What made Rob extraordinary was how he treated people. He was generous with his time, generous with his counsel, and generous with his friendship. He was a devoted husband to Lisa and a devoted father to Joey. He showed up for the people in his life consistently, quietly, and without expectation of anything in return.
I have never met anyone more outwardly brave in the face of a challenge. Rob treated his disease like it was a chronic cold, not cancer. He never complained. He never felt sorry for himself. He kept working, kept showing up, kept being Rob. That kind of courage is not something you can teach or learn from a book. It comes from somewhere deeper, and Rob had it in abundance.
Rob Mesirow lived an exemplary life. He was kind when it was easier not to be. He was brave when most people would have been afraid. He was present when the world gives you every reason to retreat. I am grateful for every conversation we had, every piece of advice he gave me, and every moment of friendship we shared.
I will miss him terribly. May his name be for a blessing and may he Rest in Peace.
The family requests donations to the PRECEDE Foundation, supporting pancreatic cancer early detection.