An intimidating presence, but a big, gentle guy

Robert Nolan may have been a physically intimidating man.

But friends, colleagues and family remembered Mr. Nolan, who died at the age of 72 last Saturday, as the opposite in his personality -- a man who made friends and jokes with ease.

"He was unique," said his wife, Cathy. "He never took life too seriously."

Mr. Nolan had serious athletic talent, though, starting his career as a basketball and football player at Wauconda High School. He set records there, and later at the University of Miami, Fla., after he was awarded a football scholarship.

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said Mr. Nolan's athletic history -- which extended to being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers before an injury sidelined him -- was something people noticed at his job at the county courthouse.

"He could put his arm around you and give you a big hug or he could pick you up by the neck. It depended on which way you wanted it," Nygren said with a laugh. "At 72, I wouldn't have wanted to mess with him."

Mr. Nolan supervised a staff of about 30 at the McHenry County Courthouse's security unit, where he worked for 17 years.

"He had a good sense of humor, but at the same time if he had to, he could be stern," Nygren said. "He had that smile and the twinkle in his eye that everybody liked."

Cathy Nolan said her husband's friendly ways even made him fans among the friends of his son, Robert. He tried to gently straighten them out without getting them into trouble.

"They all thought of him as a second father," Cathy Nolan said. "He tried to keep them on the straight and narrow without ratting them out."

Mr. Nolan's survivors include his daughter, Robin Wilson and her three children, Ashley, Jessica, and Trevor; his brother, Thomas Nolan; a sister-in-law, Betty Collins; two brothers-in-law, Bill Wolf and Richard Collins; and five nieces and two nephews.

With even that large family, Cathy Nolan said, Mr. Nolan made time to attend his grandchildren's sports contests.

"They're all big sports people. … They followed in his footsteps," Cathy Nolan said. "He hardly ever missed a game that the kids played in."

To honor Mr. Nolan's accomplishments in sports, an athletic scholarship has been established in his name at Wauconda High School. To contribute, send a donation to the Bob Nolan Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Baxter Credit Union, 25212 W. IL Route 120, Round Lake, IL 60073.

A Mass for Mr. Nolan will be said at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Transfiguration Church in Wauconda.

For information on the services, call George R. Justen & Son Funeral Home in McHenry at (815) 385-2400, or send an online condolence to the family at www.justenfh.com.