Robert J. R. Follett died peacefully on Sept. 3, 2025. Born on July 4, 1928, in Oak Park, he graduated from Brown University in 1950 and married the love of his life, Nancy Crouthamel Follett that December. He briefly attended graduate school before being drafted into the Army during the Korean War. At the end of his service, he was discharged as a sergeant, having been on the founding staff of the Psychological Warfare and Special Forces School.
He and Nancy returned to Oak Park where he joined a division of the family business, Follett Publishing Company. He eventually became president, publishing some 1,000 books during his tenure. Later he was named Chairman of Follett Corporation, where he was part of a team that led Follett to become the dominant player in college bookstores, used textbooks and library software.
Until his dying days, he would introduce himself as a book publisher. In the 1950s he was editor and publisher of the first textbook series with racially integrated illustrations. He was especially proud of publishing the first beginning-to-read book, Nobody Listens to Andrew. In his retirement, he wrote, edited and published many other award-winning books.
Active in community affairs, he was a founder of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation and president of the Village Manager Association in Oak Park. He served on numerous local, state, and national committees in the publishing and bookselling industry. After his retirement, he and his wife Nancy moved to Colorado where he was a founder and first president of the Keystone Citizens League and served on various boards and commissions in Summit County. Taking his lead from his wife Nancy, he became well-known for his thoughtful and generous giving to organizations and efforts that caught his interest.
He loved the mountains. For 30 years he took a backpacking trip every summer, usually with one or more of his children, nephews, and eventually his sons-in-law. In what his grandchildren jokingly called his “so-called retirement” he worked as a ski guide at the Keystone and Arapahoe Basin ski areas. In the summers, he climbed mountains, including 27 Fourteeners [14,000 feet and above].
He loved making art and produced a wide range of paintings and sculpture well into his 90s. He took his children to the fledgling Museum of Contemporary Art when it was just a storefront in Chicago. His curiosity about art and the process of creating it never faded.
He often said that the best thing he ever did was to marry Nancy. They were married over 67 years and raised four children. In the eyes of his children and grandchildren their love story was remarkable.
Bob is pre-deceased by his wife Nancy (2018) and his grandson Scott Thompson. He is survived by his children, Brian (Mindy) Follett, Kathryn (David) Bussman, Jean Follett & Douglas Thompson, and Lisa (Donald) Gardner; and his grandchildren, Susan (Brian) Davis, Andrew (Hannah) Follett, Dwight (Monica) Bussman, Max Bussman, Nathaniel (Tina) Thompson, Amy Schiller (Scott Thompson), and Benjamin MacAndrews (Michelle Ranc; and seven great-grandchildren.
Nearing the end of his remarkable life, he said he had no regrets and was happy to have lived a long and productive life with family and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m., on Nov. 15, at Wind Crest, Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Donations may be made to: National Repertory Orchestra (nromusic.org), Summit Foundation (summitfoundation.org) or Arapahoe Community College (arapahoe.edu).
Condolences to: Jean Follett, 629 W. Elm St., Wheaton, IL 60129.