Robert Wlliam Hoedemaker Jr

Robert William Hoedemaker Jr. (Bob, Bobby, or Hodie) passed on to the next adventure on Wednesday, February 25th, 2026, at his home in Pennington, NJ after a 14-month battle with Gliomatosis Cerebri, a primary brain cancer. Bob was born on March 9,1958, to Robert William Hoedemaker Sr. and Joan Virginia (Hampel) Hoedemaker and resided most of his life in the Princeton/Montgomery area. He was a lifelong analytical thinker and scientist, driven by a relentless intellectual curiosity, an athlete, and was deeply committed to his family.

As a child, Bob read through encyclopedias in his room, participated in the RCA youth programs, conducted experiments in the basement of his family home, and researched science concepts at the Princeton University Library. When not immersed in his analytical and creative endeavors, Bob explored on his bike, swam at the local swim club, Pine Brae, and cycloskiffed in the basement (damaging knuckles) with neighborhood friends and cousins. He was highly athletic, excelling at swimming and running track in high school. , In college, he led canoe trips in Canada as a camp guide.

Bob attended Bowdoin College (1980 BS in Chemistry). He often spoke fondly of his time in college as co-captain of the swim team, a member of his fraternity, Alpha Kappa Sigma, and of his freedom to explore his own concepts in the chemistry department.  Upon his graduation, Bob worked for several years at a chemistry job while successfully exploring investing in gold on the side. Frustrated, and hoping to further develop his interests outside of chemistry, he pivoted via a certificate program in IT at The Chubb Institute to a brief role at Foster Wheeler in IT networking and programming. He then opted to continue his education, and he obtained an MBA from the University of North Carolina (UNC) with a focus on finance.

While at UNC, Bob’s father suffered a debilitating neurotrauma accident. He, along with his mother, were the primary caretakers for his father for 25 years. During this time, Bob established himself as an independent financial analyst and trader. In the early 1980s, he based his investment strategies on analytical computations. He read multiple new sources daily and had a private bank of computers running in his home analyzing economic trends. He ran six marathons, sailed on the Raritan Bay, and continued his basement experimentation. His battery work may have been patentable.

Bob was devoted to and very proud of his family. Bob met his wife, Caroline, through a common sailing friend. They married in November of 1996. While he continued to provide care for his father, he also was the primary caretaker for his daughters (Madeline and Grace) in their early years. As such, his first daughter had an office (playpen) at his parents’ home. He keenly supported the academic and athletic development of his two daughters and the ongoing entrepreneurship of his wife. His inquisitive nature and trenchant observation and analysis of the world around him have been passed on to his daughters and will be greatly missed.

Bob enjoyed spending time at the Jersey shore with his extended family including his nephews. Both he and his wife were avid competitive sailors. He loved to swim in the ocean and was the top body surfer of his family, a skill he passed on to his daughters.

Prior to becoming ill, Bob started running again with his daughter, Grace, steadily increasing his pace and mileage, carefully tracking his progress, and exchanging workouts with his daughter. His family thought that perhaps he might enter another marathon, and you know? Maybe he has.

Bob is survived by his wife Caroline, children Madeline and Grace, and his sister Sandra (David Hoy). He was preceded in death by his mother Joan (Hampel) and Father Robert Hoedemaker Sr.

He will be interned at Moorestown Presbyterian Church in a private ceremony on his birthday March 9 th followed by a small remembrance of his life available via zoom.

In lieu of flowers, or gifts, please make donations in his name to the Glioblastoma Foundation (https://glioblastomafoundation.org/get-involved/donate), the National Association for Gifted Education (https://www.nagc.org/store/donate) or the Nassau Presbyterian Church (https://nassauchurch.org/giving/give-now/).