A graduate of Montclair (N.J.) High School, at Princeton he was a member of Tower Club and majored in economics. After three years as an officer in the Navy, mostly Atlantic sea duty, he entered Harvard Business School and graduated in 1955.

His first job after Harvard was with Procter & Gamble. Another job took him to Greenville in 1969, where he settled for the remainder of his life. In 1973 he formed Frantz-Harder and Associates, a management-consulting business. His entrepreneurial drive led to ownership of several small businesses, ventures into wireless communications, and lastly, a tax-credit service. He had sold most of these businesses and was essentially retired by 2000.

While devotion to his family came first with Bob, he loved his dogs, history, and family genealogy. Exercise was part of his daily routine.

Bob was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy, in 2011. He is survived by sons Scott and Chris, daughters Diane and Wendy, and 12 grandchildren.