Banker helped shape Arlington Heights

Like many people, Robert Bukowski met his future wife by chance while he was working.

Unlike most, he was in fifth grade at the time.

Robert was a student crossing guard at a Norwood Park elementary school in the 1930s. Betty Lou Olson was a second-grader at the same school who needed a little help with busy streets.

The two would later marry and have four children, said daughter Nancy Lincoln, who lives in Arlington Heights.

Robert Bukowski, 85, died on Wednesday, a few days after he and Betty Lou celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.

"They set a good example, and loved each other very much," Lincoln said.

Mr. Bukowski spent most of his adult life in Arlington Heights, where he was a familiar face in many community endeavors. A banker by trade, he also was a village trustee, a director of the Latoff YMCA in Des Plaines and a board member for both Northwest Community Hospital and the local elementary school District 25.

He was also the founding director of The Bank and Trust Co. of Arlington Heights and Northwest Trust and Savings Bank.

Lincoln said her father learned from his own mother the importance of giving back to your community.

"My dad's mother did a lot back then with the PTA," Lincoln said. "Plus back then, bankers were very involved in their communities. It was sort of an expectation. "

Born on June 9, 1922, in Oak Park, Mr. Bukowski graduated from Lane Tech in Chicago and later the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1943 with a degree in finance and banking. From 1943 to 1946 he was in the Army.

Robert started his banking career at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago, as a field representative. At the Continental Bank, he rose to the post of senior vice president. Later he became the chairman and CEO of Premier Banks of Northern Illinois in Lake County.

Betty Lou and Robert moved to Arlington Heights in 1951 and lived in several different houses in the village, Lincoln said.

"They moved out to Arlington Heights when only about 8,000 lived here," she said. "My dad took the train into the city for work."

The couple moved to Arizona in 1997 but returned to the area in 2007 when Robert's health began to decline.

Besides his wife, Robert is survived by four children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Robert's memorial service will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights, 302 N. Dunton Ave. A visitation will precede the service from 1 to 3 p.m. in the church parlor.