16.09.2014

Robert Böcker 1953 - 2014

Robert Böcker, the chief executive of the aluminium crane, lift and hoist manufacturer Böcker, died suddenly on Saturday following a heart attack, he was 60.
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Robert Böcker

The news came as a great shock not only to his family and the company, but also for the town of Werne, when the business is one of the major employers and where Böcker was a major influence, participating in a large number of charities and associations. The local football team Eintracht Werne held a minute's silence before kick-off on Sunday, while the fire department and several other establishments set their flags at half-mast to mark the passing of a man that generated a great deal of respect.

Böcker began as an engineering apprentice before moving on to obtain a business degree and gain a range of practical experience before eventually taking over the business that his father, Albert - a master blacksmith - had founded in 1958 as a small metalwork and machining operation. He was instrumental in building it up into a significant international manufacturer, with over 400 employees.

At his 60th birthday last December, he announced that the company would remain in family hands for the foreseeable future and that his son Alexander would take over from him at the start of 2016, when he planned to retire in order to devote more time to his passion for hunting.

He is survived by his two children, Alexander, 31, and Diana, 27, his mother Mary and his partner Gabriele Ledendecker. His wife Ulrike passed away in 2009.

With his passing the company, the local community and the industry has lost a larger than life character who will be missed by many.