Robert Y. (Jr.) Kopf

Robert Y. Kopf, Jr.

Sewickley, PA

Robert Y. Kopf, Jr., age 80, passed away peacefully at home on March 29, 2024.  Bob was the son of the late Robert Kopf and Jane (Walker) Kopf, born in Warren, Pennsylvania in 1944.  Upon graduation from The Loomis School, he enrolled at Princeton University, where he met the love of his life, Susan Rowland, on a blind date through a mutual friend.  It was love at first sight, as Bob proposed to Susie at the end of that first date.  Upon graduating from Princeton in 1966, the two set off to Nashville, TN, where he attended Vanderbilt University Law School.  A short three years later with law degree in hand, Bob and Susie set off for Pittsburgh where they raised their three children, and he began his law career at Rose, Schmidt, Dixon followed by Buchanan Ingersoll.  Despite excelling in estates and trusts law, something was missing, and in 1996 he took an enormous personal and professional risk in founding Smithfield Trust Company, his career passion he pursued every day since.  As much as Bob enjoyed Smithfield Trust, he treasured the camaraderie of his friends and family even more, which included tennis with his buddies both days over the weekend, summers at Rocky Point Inn in the Adirondack Mountains, annual father-son fishing trips in northern Quebec, and all four seasons in Sun Valley, Idaho, where he enjoyed hiking, horseshoes, skiing, and most of all throwing a fly into the Wood River for trout with Susie, who often times out fished him.  All who knew him were keenly aware of his adoration of Winston Churchill, and his devotion to a suit and tie at work.  Family members were always sure bring their grammatical A-games to all conversations with him, fearing a friendly correction mid-sentence.  Bob had the most uncompromised set of ethics, was a lover of history and an avid reader, hoping to enlighten others by publishing book reviews written by anyone he knew in the Smithfield Forecast newsletter.  His loyalty to his loves is unmatched, as he remained forever devoted to his alma maters, his Penguins and the “Battlers” (Pirates), and local clubs and organizations.  Bob served as President of The Edgeworth Club, as well as the Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club, and served on the Boards of both Sewickley Academy and the Sewickley YMCA.  Bob was preceded in death by Susie, his wife of 56 years, and is survived by his three children Rob (Martina), Tom (Celeste), and Maggie (Chris) Standish, 4 grandsons of whom he was always so boastful, R.Y. (Kirsten), Jarrod, Max, and Silas, and 2 brothers Will (Mary) and Silas (Linda). 

A celebration of Bob’s life will occur on (Saturday, April 13) at 1:00 p.m. at the Sewickley Presbyterian Church, 414 Grant Street, Sewickley, PA, followed by a reception at his residence.  The memorial will have a live streaming option for those unable to attend at www.sewickleypresby.org  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to Trout Unlimited, Attn: Jeffrey Anderson  1700 N Moore St. Suite 2005 Arlington, VA  22209-2793.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Robert Y. (Jr.) Kopf, please visit our floral store.