Robert Theodore Hart

Captain Robert Theodore Hart, known to family and friends as “Ted,” passed away peacefully on March 11, 2026, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the age of 81.

Born on December 9, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan, to Robert M. Hart and Emily (Sholtey-Ash-Hart) Killian, Ted grew up in Livonia, Michigan, and graduated from Livonia Bentley High School in 1962. An enthusiastic athlete, he played football, ice hockey, and golf during his school years. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1966 and later received an MBA from Michigan State University in 1974.

Following his graduation from RPI, Ted was commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1966 to 1969 as a Marine Combat Engineer. He completed a tour in Vietnam from March 1967 to May 1968 with the 8th Engineer Company, 9th Engineer Battalion, maintaining critical infrastructure along the Route 1 supply road between Da Nang and Chu Lai. His professional career began in commercial real estate lending at the National Bank of Detroit. In 1983 he moved to Racine, Wisconsin, to join SC Johnson Developers, and in 1987 he co-founded Horizon Builders, a design-build firm for residential and commercial properties. After selling the business in 1999, he continued in commercial real estate with Century 21 until his retirement and relocation to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, in 2013.

A lifelong sports enthusiast and devoted fan of the Detroit Red Wings, Lions, Tigers, and Michigan State Spartans, Ted also embraced the Wisconsin Badgers after moving north. Golf was his greatest passion; he began playing at age eight and kept scorecards from thousands of rounds played around the world, recording three holes-in-one and, in retirement, proudly shooting his age on multiple occasions. He remained an active member of several golf leagues in Hot Springs Village. Deeply social and quick with a story, Ted formed lasting friendships everywhere he went. He volunteered with the Kiwanis Club in Racine, served as troop committee chairman for his son’s Boy Scout troop, and in Arkansas contributed to the Hot Springs Village Memorial maintenance group and the annual Wisconsin Picnic.

Ted is survived by his wife, Iris Hart of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas; his three children, Robert Jr. (Denise McClenathan) of Cincinnati, Ohio, Shannon (CK Siu) of Ladue, Missouri, and Kevin (Alyssa) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and six grandchildren, Felix Hart and Corrine McClenathan of Cincinnati, Calvin Siu and Emmeline Siu of Ladue, and Zoey Hart and Ethan Hart of Milwaukee. He was preceded in death by his parents and his former wife, Alice.