Robert J. Gottschalk

Robert J. Gottschalk, age 58, a resident of Phoenix, a sales and marketing executive and devoted community leader, died Sept. 10, 2011. He was born Oct. 12, 1952, in Chicago and raised in San Diego, Calif., where he graduated from Hoover High School and San Diego State University.

In 1974, he and his wife, Judi, came to Phoenix, where he worked as assistant health and physical education director and then as associate executive director at the Phoenix Jewish Community Center. In 1982 he went into business in the dry-cleaning and pharmacy industries. In 1999, he joined Health Care Dimensions, a Tempe based health-services company that created SilverSneakers, a physical activity and socialization program for older adults. He ultimately became the company's chief sales executive, developing SilverSneakers as a national brand.

He retired in 2009 to focus on receiving treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In the midst of dealing with his health issues, he launched Renewal Technologies, a company that sells LaserTouchOne, a pain-relieving device.

In April 2011, the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center presented Bob with the Irv Shuman Award in recognition of his decades of volunteer work at the JCC, where he served as board president, board member and leadership advisor, and on the steering committee that developed the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale.