Robert Irven Gease

PALM BEACH - Friends and family mourn the passing of Robert Irven Gease, originally from Columbus (Clintonville), in Palm Beach, Florida on March 23, 2024. Born Dec 18, 1936, Bob was the oldest child of Urton and Francis Gease. Bob was a 1959 graduate of OSU and worked for the Huntington National Bank. Bob loved central Ohio. He grew up on Como Avenue, Clintonville where as a young boy he raised guinea pigs. He moved to Beck Street, where he imaginatively combined two small houses to make a glorious one. Bob was briefly married to Julie Price of Upper Arlington, Ohio, before meeting the true love of his life, Robert C. Echele Together, “the two Bobs” created a wonderful estate on Diley Road in Canal Winchester with a large lake, elegant home and vegetable garden where guests would be asked to pick what would be served for dinner. Besides his talent as a gourmet cook, Bob became a pioneer in the redevelopment of German Village, Victorian Village and The Circles. Long before it was fashionable, Bob invested and remodeled many apartments and homes, which showcased his talent in design, architecture and business; realtors even advertised “a Bob Gease restoration”. Bob saw the potential in Schwartz Castle, which was a neglected building towering over south Third Street across from Katzinger’s Deli. Many years of work created a truly remarkable feat of sophisticated design with a secret room and a stunning kitchen in the flag-adorned cupola atop the structure. The Gease Company also built one of the first spec homes at The Lakes in Westerville. Then came a move to Big Walnut Farm in Galena and a truly monumental creation of earthwork, creativity and rustic design in a beautiful estate. A waterfall, an allee of evergreens, gardens, and pets were all part of the scene. Who could forget “Bobbin” the dog and “Bobcat” the kitty perched on threadbare but ultra-stylish rugs in the large two-room rustic house. Then came the commercial development of the area and the investment in thousands of acres of farmland along I-71 just north of 270. Bob and Bob put their hearts, souls and all their savings into the Polaris

Centers of Commerce (one of the very first privately funded interstate interchanges in Ohio), working closely with their partners Robert Weiler and Donald Kelley. It was not an easy endeavor and the profits were not to be seen for many years, but in the face of many adversities they persevered and prospered. Helped along by the insightful hiring of Franz Geiger, Polaris has grown to be the leading commerce center in north Columbus. Bob and Bob were formally married in Nantucket on October 6, 2006, in a deeply moving ceremony, subsequent to a brain tumor diagnosis for Bob Echele, who died in Palm Beach in 2007. Bob and Bob spent winters in Palm Beach for many years, owning a string of beautiful residences; they joined the Mar A Lago Club and were especially pleased at the warm reception they received. They also maintained homes in Aspen, Colorado, Nantucket and at Alwyn Court in New York City. After Bob Echele’s untimely death, Bob remarried later in life. His husband survives him.

Although Bob claimed to “lead a very simple life”, it was anything but. He brought many people together, supported many causes, created beautiful homes all around central Ohio and had a ball doing it all. He loved an afternoon cocktail, teasing his friends and was always curious about others’ lives, even while confined to his home for the past few years.

Bob was predeceased by his parents, brother Kenneth (d. 2015), step-mother Erma Delewese, and his beloved husband Bob Echele, and close friend Kathy Benua.

Bob had many close life-long friends including Tommy and Merilynn Kaplin, Carla Dilley and Bob Behal, Bob and Sally Levy, Herb and Lucille Grossman, Dick and Louise Gambs, Nedra Hadley, Irene Levine and Lee Hess, Jim and Jan Barnes, Peter and Christina Codispoti of Florida, sister in law Linda Gease and nephew Robbie Gease, Shaun Patterson and Troy Craze, close cousins Evelyn Hall Wirchainski and John Wirchanski.