I have been out of Buck or Mellon since 2005 but I remember Robin as the smartest and nicest person at Buck.  Like me she was the parent of à child with autism.  She always helped me with difficult kegal snd actuarial ptoblems and was very humble and gracious   i was so saddened when I heard of her passing. 

I have been out of Buck for 17 years now and just learned of this terrible event. Robin was brilliant and always willing to add insight. I remember asking her about the Retirement Equity Act and how to value that law. She was so insightful and had a great sense of humor. As a fellow autism parent she also gave me some great advice. It was so sad to hear her husband also passed. I lost my wife five years ago and as an actuary who practiced 30 years it is true that parents of autistic children die earlier than expected 

More often it is the mother. 

Robin always had a kind and thoughtful demeanor and discreetly  did many helpful things for others. Robin was always considering people and donated things to needy people.
She was constanly learning and studying throughout her years and was modestly extremely intellegent  bright . 
Robin and Marc worked as a team in business and study in being considerate and helpful to others and were  patient kind parents who  were constantly learning how to do their best in caring for their boys and helping them be involved and succeed in life.  
 Robin and Marc were mentors in my study of special needs education and they were there to help do what they could and also donated their car to me when I needed one.
Robin was a good person who strived to make life fun and enjoyable for everyone .

Words alone cannot express the impact that Robin had on so many people.  She was always giving of her time, thoughtful in her advice, and was always completely selfless.  Her overwhelming desire was to make each and every person she encountered a better person, a better consultant, and to make the world a better place for everyone.

Like many others here, Robin took me under her wing early in my career, and her guidance and tutelage helped me formulate my professional career (she also wasn't shy about providing more than a few life advice tidbits  along the way).  She taught me more than any other person I ever worked with, and she never expected anything in return.  Her joy was in seeing other people's success, which also taught me how fulfilling it can be to pass along knowledge to others.

Robin's brilliance, friendship and compassion will be sorely missed by so many -- but we should all take solace knowing that there is a very special place in heaven for people like her who gave so much of themselves to help others.


Robin was an amazing mentor and friend to so many of us at Buck. I got to know her when I decided to switch to health many years ago. We talked about career trajectories and of course educational requirements to be qualified. She outlined so many courses for me that I ended up winning an award for the most BCU (Buck Consultants University) courses the year I switched to health. Continuous learning was always top of mind for Robin and she inspired others to embrace new challenges and to keep building different skill sets. Her thought leadership changed the way we work and will remain with us.  She will be missed. 

I had the pleasure of working with Robin for most of my long career at Buck.  I always say that the people at Buck are what made it such a special place to work and Robin was certainly one of them!  She was a great role model to so many and would do anything for her colleagues and clients. 
 
She was so insightful and smart.  It was always amazing to watch her critical thinking when presented with an issue or problem.  It was at these times when her brilliance and depth of knowledge was on full display.

I am truly blessed to have worked with such a great mentor, colleague and dear friend, who has had such an impact on my life.  She was caring and patient; always willing to listen and offer guidance.
  
While I was so very sad to hear of her passing I take comfort in the fact that she will live on in all of us who were fortunate to have known her.  

My thoughts and prayers are with David, Joe and the rest of her family.

Sincerely,
Peter Ford


As a young actuary in Secaucus, NJ I had the great fortune to sit a few steps away from Robin’s office.

Everyone who worked with Robin knows that she was a genius.  Seldom, if ever, did I have a conversation with Robin where I did not walk away with an additional pearl of wisdom.  

Genius is rare.  But what made Robin truly special was her enthusiasm with which she shared her genius.  She spent countless hours mentoring me, both professionally and personally.  I know scores of others have had the same experience.  Though she is gone, I am constantly reminded of her as I work.  Her professional legacy lives on though me and everyone else she selflessly taught and mentored.

I loved Robin’s dry sense of humor.  She was equally cutting and self-deprecating with her banter.  Her loud, joyous laugh was infectious; I’d instantly smile each time I heard it.  

Robin was also a genuinely kind person, and that kindness showed even when thoroughly scrutinizing and criticizing one’s work. She would frequently ask about my well-being and offer to help if I was struggling.  

I cannot adequately express the gratitude I have for the many gifts Robin has given me. Robin was an amazing actuary, mentor, and friend. I will miss her dearly.


The staff of the New York City Office of the Actuary (NYCOA) expresses our condolences to the family and friends of Robin Simon.

Robin was a knowledgeable, refreshingly candid, and confident Actuary, and someone the NYCOA has deep respect for, both as a professional and a friend.  While at Buck Consultants, Robin worked with our office on actuarial projects.  She left her mark on our work by broadening the scope of it, by helping to set up the OPEB (Other Postemployment Benefits) Valuation.  This allowed the OA staff to expand their expertise beyond pensions and into the health field.

Most importantly, Robin was a mentor and a teacher to the people who worked with her and under her.  She always dedicated herself to making her colleagues, not only better actuaries, but better professionals, by assisting them in their professional growth and confidence. 

Fondly, 

The New York City Office of the Actuary


I worked with Robin on several projects during my career at Buck.  Robin was a great teacher and always available to help out her colleagues.  As others have said, Robin had a rare combination of brilliance, professionalism and a good heart.  She will be missed. 

I cherish my many interactions with Robin as a grateful client and as a grateful friend.
I'm sure our account was one of the "problem clients" mentioned by others. Robin earned the respect of my boss like few others in any consulting firm in the country. And she handled his irascible nature like no one else dared to do.
Like others, I was fortunate to  participate in a Passover Seder with Robin, Mark, Joe, David, and Robin's sister's family  at the Simon home. I truly cannot imagine a more meaningful way of learning about this Jewish tradition than with this loving and giving family.
Robin's wit and warmth were as expansive as her knowledge. She always had time to listen, time to explain, time to break things down into understandable pieces, time to be there. 
She leaves the world a better place because she was in it. She will be sorely missed.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, especially Joe and David who she loved so deeply. May her love, her strength and  her determination envelop you and carry you forward through the difficult days ahead.

As a “newbie” actuary hired by Buck in the 1980’s, I first had the privilege of working with Robin on a transferred client’s pension data, “Newbie” was a term Robin fondly used for recently hired actuarial students and in all that Robin did in performance of her many duties, she always encouraged learning. Not just the task at hand, but also understanding of the “why” it mattered.

In 1999, Robin Simon hired me from the Pittsburgh Retirement Practice to work in the actuarial systems support team she was leading. She was a great mentor and supportive boss. If I ever had a cold, she would ask “Do I need to send you some chicken soup?”. As others have noted, Robin would offer her basement as a place to stay when I would travel to the Secaucus office. I was honored to participate in my first Passover Seder with Robin, Mark, David and Joe at their home in Livingston.

Robin was an amazingly smart and inquisitive person. I always said Robin had forgotten more about ActVal and actuarial rules than I could ever know. Robin was an actuary, a lawyer, a person who loved to learn – and more than everything else, a great friend. 


Robin was brilliant and accomplished  and hardworking. She was dedicated to making a positive difference in every aspect of her world- being there for coworkers, friends, family and the community.

She loved life and took advantage of every moment. 

I will miss her and my thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.



Robin was a brilliant and kind consultant.  She made  us all better.  I worked with her during my 25 year career at Buck.  She was a team player. She will be missed.

I knew Robin throughout my decades-long Buck career. In addition to being brilliant (as many others have stated), she was a selfless person. Always looking to help others. I was fortunate to have her as an informal mentor as I was coming up the ranks. Her willingness to offer to help anyone around her was remarkable. We're all better for having known her. She will be sorely missed. 

Brilliance, kindness, love of family.  What can I say that has not already been said of this amazing person?  I will say that my life, professionally and personally, has been impacted for the better because I knew Robin.  She was always available to help on a work-related project or just to talk about her boys and my family, and she made you feel like you were a part of her family.  She will be truly missed.

Blessing to her boys.  We have not met, but I feel like I know you both.

Tony

Robin was brilliant.   I only worked with her for the first year or so of my career and was quite intimidated, but inspired at the same time.  There wasn't a single issue where she didn't know 3 possible solutions and the history of how/why those solutions were developed.  The depth of her knowledge was truly something special, but it was surprising that she communicated this wisdom with such grace and joy.  Not once did she ever turn down an opportunity to talk to me, a freshly hired college grad, at length about the history of some accounting rule, or handling work and exams at the same time.  The way she spoke was so comforting.  She is my main proof that brilliance and kindness can go hand in hand in this world.   She was one of a kind.  

I worked with Robin at Buck for over 30 years and our friendship continued after we both retired.  
Robin was definitely one of the smartest people I’ve known and earned more degrees and certifications than most.  Her learning continued into retirement, when she got interested in geography and took courses at the local college.  She served in many roles at Buck, starting in the pension field and then becoming an expert in retiree medical benefits.  At different points in time, she was involved in systems development, served as chief actuary, and led professionalism and peer review endeavors.  She was a regular speaker at both training and continuing education sessions.  We all benefited from Robin’s knowledge which she loved to share.  I think the role she was most proud of was serving as mentor for young employees and watching them develop into skilled actuaries and consultants.
I will definitely miss Robin.  My thoughts are with her family, especially her sons David and Joe.    


Anyone who knew Robin will attest, without exception, that she was brilliant, always challenging you to do your best, and the best mentor you'll ever have.  She was my mentor for my FSA project and got me to do more than strictly required by the SoA's rules.  But she knew I could handle it, and that I would be a better professional for putting in the extra work.

She and I worked together on several company training sessions, and I learned a lot just watching her thought processes.

She also was devoted to her kids and always thinking about their futures.  Our kids have some things in common and we were there for each other when one of us needed to vent.

She was a great friend and a great mentor.  I will miss her.  May her memory be for a blessing.

Robin was a dear friend and colleague -- she was one of the smartest, most insightful people I've ever known.  She cared deeply for her family (Mark, Joe, David) and her friends too.  At work she was the "go to" person on all things actuarial and she had a keen insight into the goings on in the world of technology.  We met for dinner often and she always listened and helped me through whatever "crisis du jour"  I was experiencing.  
I will miss her wit, brain and laugh.
May her memory be a blessing.
William, Jonathan and Ellen Braverman Klein

I worked with Robin in the Buck NY office when I first started many many years ago. 

First and foremost Robin was a very very kind person with a great sense of humor.   She was of course brilliant and had a very sharp memory for everything -  when I would call to discuss something with her whether business or personal she always gave me good advice. 

I'm so very very sad to hear of her passing and will miss the fond memories. 

Sincerely,
Nina Weiss



Words cannot express how deeply saddened I am to hear about Robin's passing. She will be greatly missed. 

She was a great colleague, mentor, teacher, friend and Jewish mother to so many of us at Buck. We were all very blessed to have her in our lives for so many years. 

May your memories of her help you cope with your loss at this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. 

Best regards, 
Barry Goldberg

Robin was a brilliant woman, kind and passionate and she will be dearly missed.  She was a favorite consultant to my toughest, smartest clients, and more importantly, a role model, sounding board, and mentor to so many actuaries and professionals throughout her career.  Buck (the company she worked at through most of her career) has lost a legacy and a friend.

Courtney Nathan-Materdomini


I’m having trouble finding the words to describe Robin’s impact on my life.  She was passionate about mentoring and teaching all those around her.   She was an inspiration to female actuaries across our industry.   She empowered me to assert myself and created space for me to take on new challenges, always being that place of safety where I could ask questions and share doubts.   She was my Work Mom.  That’s said - I know she was truly devoted to Mark, Joe, and David.   I will treasure the memory of a Passover Seder at the Simon’s’: I learned so much about the Jewish tradition of asking questions and challenging, something she never shied away from.  I treasured that meal shared with the family.  We’ll miss you Robin.  Condolences to all her knew her.  

OBITUARY

Robin Barnett Simon

October 13, 1955 – March 15, 2021

Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services