The children of Bert (“Buddy”) Edward Uebele, III, announce his passing on June 7, 2024, just shy of his 89th birthday.
He will be lovingly remembered by his four children: Bert (“Bob”) Edward Uebele, IV (Teri), Karen Uebele Hosking (Roderick), Kathleen Uebele Baldwin (Johnny), and Kristin Uebele Miskow (Paul). He is survived by eight grandchildren: Erik Uebele, Michael Uebele (Paige), Aaron Uebele, Joshua Baldwin, Caroline Grace Baldwin, Kimberly Miskow Stepney (Tray), Emily Miskow, and Jennifer Miskow, and by his great grandson, Charlie Paul Stepney.
Bert was predeceased by his parents, Bert Edward Uebele, Jr. and Frances Hower Uebele, his sister, Marjorie Uebele Stitle, and his twin daughters, Lisa and Robin Sue Uebele.
Bert was born on August 17, 1935, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the delight of his parents and sister, Margie. From his earliest years, Bert displayed a profound and contagious zest for life. At the age of five, he assisted a magician perform a magic trick, which sparked a lifelong love of performing magic for others. As he said in an interview, “magic is a fever and people know if they have it.” A natural entertainer, Bert won a competition while in the Army and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. He performed thousands of magic shows during his life, bringing joy to patients in veterans hospitals and to countless children and adults. Many friends of his children reminisce to this day, many decades later, about the wonder of his shows.
Bert was an eager student of all the world has to offer. In high school and college, he excelled as the yearbook photographer and loved developing pictures in his own darkroom. He played football in high school and at Hillsdale College, where he pledged Delta Tau Delta. He also loved to play the trumpet and accordion.
Boating was one of Bert’s greatest passions, moving his family from Michigan in 1968 to Boca Raton, Florida. He excelled as a yacht salesman, originally with Rodi Chris Craft in Pompano Beach, Florida, and later with Hatteras of Lauderdale. Aboard the family’s 53-foot Chris Craft, the Suzy-Q, his children delighted in countless travel adventures and the annual Christmas Boat Parade.
A passionate Miami Dolphins fan, Bert often took his family to home games during the team’s storied seasons in the early 1970s. He remained a fan of the Dolphins his entire life.
Bert’s larger-than-life personality remains a gift to his children that we are committed to passing to future generations. He instilled in us a love for all holidays and taught us to view the world with a sense of wonderment and possibility. While his final years were fraught with difficult health challenges, he remained to the very end (in the words of his classmates at Bloomfield Hills High School) a most “affable and courteous gentleman.”
The family wishes to thank the staff of Grand Villa of Altamonte Springs for the care of their father in his final year. Bert will be buried in a private service at Boca Raton Cemetery, alongside his loving parents.
To share your memories of Bert or to leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.