Obituary for Robert Adelmann

Robert John Adelmann of Maple Grove, Minn., passed away on January 28, 2022, at Methodist Hospital St. Louis Park from complications due to Covid. He was 80 years old.

Bob had a lengthy career in commodities trading, and held a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade in the 1980s and 1990s, specializing in agricultural futures as a manager and partner in a trading firm.

Bob was born Oct. 30, 1941, in Minneapolis, Minn., to Arthur and Corinne (Richard) Adelmann. He was the third of five siblings. He graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1959, and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota in 1963. He was the first in his family to graduate from college and would go on to earn his master’s degree in industrial relations from Stony Brook (N.Y.) University in 1970.

Following his college graduation, Bob served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, stationed in Texas, and then took his first job in 1964 as a traveling sales representative in Arizona for the consumer products company Chesebrough-Ponds. He married Joanne Sorenson on Sept. 5, 1964, and the couple briefly lived in Phoenix until moving to Burnsville, Minn., to start their family the following year. Bob then took a personnel position with Control Data Corp., with which he relocated to Long Island, N.Y., in 1969, before returning to Burnsville 18 months later. In the early 1970s, Bob switched careers to become a commodities trader in Minneapolis, a profession that led him to move to the futures and options trading hub of Chicago in 1977. After a 15-year career at the Chicago Board of Trade, Bob returned to the Minneapolis area and continued electronic trading, then took a sales position for Philip Morris in 1996, working sales regions in Minnesota until his retirement in 2006.

Bob met Judith Lampe in Minneapolis and the two were married on April 28, 2006, in Center City, Minn., and lived in the Minneapolis area until they moved to the Sun City retirement community in Bluffton, S.C., in 2006. The couple returned to Minnesota in April 2020, living in Maple Grove.

In addition to Judy, Bob is survived by his first wife, Joanne, and their three children, Kathleen Adelmann (Andrew Blankenburg), Susan (William) Strons, and Robert (Rose Goldthwait) Adelmann, as well as his sister Julie (Gary) L’Herault. Bob is also survived by six beloved grandchildren: Grace, Julia and Sam Blankenburg; Zachary and Rachel Strons; and Zahri Goldthwait-Adelmann. Survivors also include Judy’s children: sons Michael Knott, Joshua (Tammy) Knott and Eric (Jennifer) Knott, and daughter Sarah Knott, as well as grandkids Brittany, Samantha, Chandler, Cody, Allison, Marisa and Briana, who looked up to Bob as “grandpa.”

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Richard and Edward Adelmann, and sister Mary (Hietala).

Bob will be remembered for his inquisitive and intellectually curious nature, part of an outgoing personality that allowed him to find common ground with everyone he met. His positivity and relatability served him throughout his multiple people-centric careers, from sales to personnel to commodities trading, and through his service as a member of the Knights of Columbus in Bluffton. This optimism also sustained his brief annual faith in the Minnesota Twins. His determination and confidence drove a lifelong desire to outsmart commodity-market movements and economic trends. And his enduring love of family was shown through provocative conversations, playful teasing, dry humor and an unforgettable wry smile.

Due to Covid concerns, a private funeral mass will be held. A celebration of Bob’s life for family and friends is being planned for this spring. Memorials for Bob can be made to two charitable causes dear to him and his families: The Lupus Foundation of America and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

The private funeral mass will be livestreamed by church at the following link at 10:30am Feb 8th: https://vimeo.com/674016802