Robert Kaiser Jr.

Anderson Twp. - Robert A."Mike" Kaiser, a former senior editor at The Cincinnati and Kentucky Posts, died on October 28 at home after a long illness. He was 74 years old and from Anderson Twp. Mr. Kaiser joined The Post, which went out of business in 2007, in 1985 as a copy editor. He later worked as an assistant city editor, special sections editor and news editor. In 2007 when The Posts closed, he was the newspapers' assistant managing editor for news. Mr. Kaiser began his newspaper career in the 1960s as an editorial assistant at The Buffalo Evening News and later worked as a reporter at The Lockport Union-Sun and Journal. In the 1970s, he served as an editor for Bee Publications in suburban Buffalo. In 1976, he became editor of Bee's Lancaster Enterprise and Depew Herald and later took on the additional duties as the founding editor of The Cheektowaga Bee and The West Seneca Bee. For three years prior to joining The Posts, he served as community news editor, suburban editor and chief copy editor at the Warren Tribune Chronicle in Warren, Ohio. Mr. Kaiser graduated from Williamsville, Ny., Central High School in 1962 and from Fordham University in New York City in 1966. He earned his master's degree in journalism from Penn State University in 1971. From 1969 to 1970, Mr. Kaiser served as an infantry sergeant with the 1st Infantry Division and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, an Army Commendation Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and Presidential and Vietnamese Gallantry Cross unit citations. After leaving the service, Mr. Kaiser went to work as a press aide former State Assemblyman Chester Hardt of Amherst, Ny. After the assemblyman's retirement, Mr. Kaiser worked as a writer for the Speaker of the Assembly Perry B. Duryea and then moved on to the State Senate as a press aide to Sen. Dale M. Volker before returning to his journalism career. While working at The Post, Mr. Kaiser served as an adjunct professor of news writing and feature writing at Xavier University. He also served for many years as adviser to the university's student newspaper. In addition, he was a member of the board of the Mid-America Press Institute and helped conduct training seminars at institute sessions in St. Louis. An avid sailor, Mr. Kaiser served as a vice commodore for the Rocky Fork Sailing Club in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was also a skeet and trap shooter and belonged to the Milford Gun Club, the Middletown Gun Club and the Clinton County Farmers' and Sportsmen's Association. He was the author of two books, a novel, "Pig Town," a collection of short fiction, "The Hawk and Other Stories", and a memoir "In My Time." He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Sally Ann (nee Swanson) Kaiser; three daughters, Elizabeth Anne Kaiser and Sarah Michelle Criger, both of Cincinnati, Katherine Jean Stock of Athens, Ga.; a brother, Steven Kaiser of Henderson, Ny.; and two grandchildren, the late Charlotte Anne Criger and William Anthony Criger, of Cincinnati. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Rose Church, 2501 Riverside Dr., on Thur. Nov. 1, at 1:30 PM. Friends may visit at T P WHITE & SONS Funeral Home 2050 Beechmont Ave. Mt. Washington on Wed. from 4-6 PM. Burial will be in Mt. Washington Cemetery. Family requests that donations be sent to Charlotte's Heart (charlottes-heart.org) - the non-profit created in memory of his granddaughter Charlotte - in lieu of flowers.