Robert M. Leisk, 81, of Albany, died Friday, August 25, 2006 at his residence. Son of the late Frank B. and Elizabeth Mosmen Leisk, also predeceased by his brother Frank W. Leisk. Born in Albany, he was a life long resident. He served during World War II in the Navy. Prior to his retirement Robert was the proprietor of the Cottage Diner. A lover of animals, Bob will be missed by his many friends and neighbors for the good times and summers spent at the lake. Robert is survived by his loving wife, Emily, of 60 years and uncle of Robert and Lucinda Bennett of Northville, N.Y. Funeral services will commence Wednesday, August 30, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at the Chicorelli Funeral Home, 331 Delaware Ave., Albany, N.Y. Family and friends are invited and may call at the funeral home from 9:00 a.m. until time of services. Interment will be in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, N.Y.
From the Albany 'Times Union':
ALBANY -- Family, friends and customers gathered to remember the man who served crispy home fries along with a thick sense of community atop two generations of plates at Bob's Cottage Diner on New Scotland Avenue.
Robert "Bob" Leisk, 81, was memorialized by The Rev. Jonathan E. Gray Wednesday at a service at Chicorelli Funeral Home in Albany and buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands. He and his wife, Emily, ran the Park South neighborhood fixture near Washington Park, just off Madison Avenue, beginning in 1961. The diner has been closed in recent years.
"We'll all miss him. He was so kind," recalled Gina Selitto, who grew up around the corner from the diner on Dana Avenue and worked there as a waitress.
A mark of Bob's kindness, Selitto recalled, was when he paid the vet bill for her sick dog and let her pay him back over time.
"He was very nice to everybody," said Florence Treadway, who worked at Paul's Cleaners nearby and stopped in often for a breakfast of eggs and home fries.
"I liked the way Bob made his home fries, nice and crisp," said Treadway, who often saw him give away free meals to poor customers who couldn't afford to pay.
Bob's Cottage Diner was an eatery that time forgot. The decor -- red vinyl booths, light blue stools that spun and a black Hart oven -- had changed little since the 1940s when the father of Steve Harris Jr., a friend of the Leisks, ran the diner.
Bob was a self-taught short-order cook who made classic diner fare, ranging from grilled cheese sandwiches to beef-and-macaroni soup. He and his wife lived next door. Her grandfather owned the diner building, a low-slung woodframe structure, beginning in the late 19th century and ran it for years as a newsroom and cigar shop.
With a keen interest in the welfare of his neighbors and the future of the Park South neighborhood, Bob gravitated to politics. He was president of the neighborhood association for two years.
"He could mediate conflict in a community that can be tricky to live in," recalled Andrew Harvey, current president of the Park South Neighborhood Association. "Bob remained serene even in difficult situations. He taught me a lot. He'll be fondly remembered in all the lives he touched."
"Bob was very involved in the neighborhood and well-respected," said Richard Conti, a Common Council member and friend of the Leisks, who often stopped for one of Bob's breakfast omelets on weekends.
Conti recalled one of Bob's favorite pastimes was playing Santa Claus for the kids at an annual neighborhood Christmas party at the Boys' Club.
Leisk was a lifelong Albany resident. He served in the Navy during World War II and is survived by his wife of 60 years.
From the Albany 'Times Union':
ALBANY -- Family, friends and customers gathered to remember the man who served crispy home fries along with a thick sense of community atop two generations of plates at Bob's Cottage Diner on New Scotland Avenue.
Robert "Bob" Leisk, 81, was memorialized by The Rev. Jonathan E. Gray Wednesday at a service at Chicorelli Funeral Home in Albany and buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands. He and his wife, Emily, ran the Park South neighborhood fixture near Washington Park, just off Madison Avenue, beginning in 1961. The diner has been closed in recent years.
"We'll all miss him. He was so kind," recalled Gina Selitto, who grew up around the corner from the diner on Dana Avenue and worked there as a waitress.
A mark of Bob's kindness, Selitto recalled, was when he paid the vet bill for her sick dog and let her pay him back over time.
"He was very nice to everybody," said Florence Treadway, who worked at Paul's Cleaners nearby and stopped in often for a breakfast of eggs and home fries.
"I liked the way Bob made his home fries, nice and crisp," said Treadway, who often saw him give away free meals to poor customers who couldn't afford to pay.
Bob's Cottage Diner was an eatery that time forgot. The decor -- red vinyl booths, light blue stools that spun and a black Hart oven -- had changed little since the 1940s when the father of Steve Harris Jr., a friend of the Leisks, ran the diner.
Bob was a self-taught short-order cook who made classic diner fare, ranging from grilled cheese sandwiches to beef-and-macaroni soup. He and his wife lived next door. Her grandfather owned the diner building, a low-slung woodframe structure, beginning in the late 19th century and ran it for years as a newsroom and cigar shop.
With a keen interest in the welfare of his neighbors and the future of the Park South neighborhood, Bob gravitated to politics. He was president of the neighborhood association for two years.
"He could mediate conflict in a community that can be tricky to live in," recalled Andrew Harvey, current president of the Park South Neighborhood Association. "Bob remained serene even in difficult situations. He taught me a lot. He'll be fondly remembered in all the lives he touched."
"Bob was very involved in the neighborhood and well-respected," said Richard Conti, a Common Council member and friend of the Leisks, who often stopped for one of Bob's breakfast omelets on weekends.
Conti recalled one of Bob's favorite pastimes was playing Santa Claus for the kids at an annual neighborhood Christmas party at the Boys' Club.
Leisk was a lifelong Albany resident. He served in the Navy during World War II and is survived by his wife of 60 years.
Robert M. Leisk, 81, of Albany, died Friday, August 25, 2006 at his residence. Son of the late Frank B. and Elizabeth Mosmen Leisk, also predeceased by his brother Frank W. Leisk. Born in Albany, he was a life long resident. He served during World War II in the Navy. Prior to his retirement Robert was the proprietor of the Cottage Diner. A lover of animals, Bob will be missed by his many friends and neighbors for the good times and summers spent at the lake. Robert is survived by his loving wife, Emily, of 60 years and uncle of Robert and Lucinda Bennett of Northville, N.Y. Funeral services will commence Wednesday, August 30, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at the Chicorelli Funeral Home, 331 Delaware Ave., Albany, N.Y. Family and friends are invited and may call at the funeral home from 9:00 a.m. until time of services. Interment will be in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, N.Y.
From the Albany 'Times Union':
ALBANY -- Family, friends and customers gathered to remember the man who served crispy home fries along with a thick sense of community atop two generations of plates at Bob's Cottage Diner on New Scotland Avenue.
Robert "Bob" Leisk, 81, was memorialized by The Rev. Jonathan E. Gray Wednesday at a service at Chicorelli Funeral Home in Albany and buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands. He and his wife, Emily, ran the Park South neighborhood fixture near Washington Park, just off Madison Avenue, beginning in 1961. The diner has been closed in recent years.
"We'll all miss him. He was so kind," recalled Gina Selitto, who grew up around the corner from the diner on Dana Avenue and worked there as a waitress.
A mark of Bob's kindness, Selitto recalled, was when he paid the vet bill for her sick dog and let her pay him back over time.
"He was very nice to everybody," said Florence Treadway, who worked at Paul's Cleaners nearby and stopped in often for a breakfast of eggs and home fries.
"I liked the way Bob made his home fries, nice and crisp," said Treadway, who often saw him give away free meals to poor customers who couldn't afford to pay.
Bob's Cottage Diner was an eatery that time forgot. The decor -- red vinyl booths, light blue stools that spun and a black Hart oven -- had changed little since the 1940s when the father of Steve Harris Jr., a friend of the Leisks, ran the diner.
Bob was a self-taught short-order cook who made classic diner fare, ranging from grilled cheese sandwiches to beef-and-macaroni soup. He and his wife lived next door. Her grandfather owned the diner building, a low-slung woodframe structure, beginning in the late 19th century and ran it for years as a newsroom and cigar shop.
With a keen interest in the welfare of his neighbors and the future of the Park South neighborhood, Bob gravitated to politics. He was president of the neighborhood association for two years.
"He could mediate conflict in a community that can be tricky to live in," recalled Andrew Harvey, current president of the Park South Neighborhood Association. "Bob remained serene even in difficult situations. He taught me a lot. He'll be fondly remembered in all the lives he touched."
"Bob was very involved in the neighborhood and well-respected," said Richard Conti, a Common Council member and friend of the Leisks, who often stopped for one of Bob's breakfast omelets on weekends.
Conti recalled one of Bob's favorite pastimes was playing Santa Claus for the kids at an annual neighborhood Christmas party at the Boys' Club.
Leisk was a lifelong Albany resident. He served in the Navy during World War II and is survived by his wife of 60 years.
From the Albany 'Times Union':
ALBANY -- Family, friends and customers gathered to remember the man who served crispy home fries along with a thick sense of community atop two generations of plates at Bob's Cottage Diner on New Scotland Avenue.
Robert "Bob" Leisk, 81, was memorialized by The Rev. Jonathan E. Gray Wednesday at a service at Chicorelli Funeral Home in Albany and buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands. He and his wife, Emily, ran the Park South neighborhood fixture near Washington Park, just off Madison Avenue, beginning in 1961. The diner has been closed in recent years.
"We'll all miss him. He was so kind," recalled Gina Selitto, who grew up around the corner from the diner on Dana Avenue and worked there as a waitress.
A mark of Bob's kindness, Selitto recalled, was when he paid the vet bill for her sick dog and let her pay him back over time.
"He was very nice to everybody," said Florence Treadway, who worked at Paul's Cleaners nearby and stopped in often for a breakfast of eggs and home fries.
"I liked the way Bob made his home fries, nice and crisp," said Treadway, who often saw him give away free meals to poor customers who couldn't afford to pay.
Bob's Cottage Diner was an eatery that time forgot. The decor -- red vinyl booths, light blue stools that spun and a black Hart oven -- had changed little since the 1940s when the father of Steve Harris Jr., a friend of the Leisks, ran the diner.
Bob was a self-taught short-order cook who made classic diner fare, ranging from grilled cheese sandwiches to beef-and-macaroni soup. He and his wife lived next door. Her grandfather owned the diner building, a low-slung woodframe structure, beginning in the late 19th century and ran it for years as a newsroom and cigar shop.
With a keen interest in the welfare of his neighbors and the future of the Park South neighborhood, Bob gravitated to politics. He was president of the neighborhood association for two years.
"He could mediate conflict in a community that can be tricky to live in," recalled Andrew Harvey, current president of the Park South Neighborhood Association. "Bob remained serene even in difficult situations. He taught me a lot. He'll be fondly remembered in all the lives he touched."
"Bob was very involved in the neighborhood and well-respected," said Richard Conti, a Common Council member and friend of the Leisks, who often stopped for one of Bob's breakfast omelets on weekends.
Conti recalled one of Bob's favorite pastimes was playing Santa Claus for the kids at an annual neighborhood Christmas party at the Boys' Club.
Leisk was a lifelong Albany resident. He served in the Navy during World War II and is survived by his wife of 60 years.
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