Robert P. Ingold

Robert, Bob, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, CEO, Staff Sargeant, Friend. By whatever name he was called, Robert P. Ingold of Snyder, NY, was attentive, thoughtful, and usually inciteful. A conversation with him was known to take unexpected turns as he shared his opinions and points of view freely.

Surrounded by family, Bob died in his home on Friday, November 12 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was 74.

Bob was born in Rochester, NY on June 26, 1947. He was baptized in August of 1947. His faith was extremely important to him, and he went on to serve as a Moderator and Deacon at Brighton Community Baptist Church in Tonawanda.

He attended Victor Senior High School where he was very athletic, participating in baseball, football, and wrestling. He was known as a pool shark and for being the one with the car. After graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force. Stationed at the base in Dover, Delaware, he rose to the rank of Staff Sargeant before being honorably discharged in March of 1970 due to budgetary restrictions. Bob always valued his time in the Air Force, crediting it with providing the basis for his managerial style later in life.

He returned to Rochester for the beginning of his career at Lincoln Rochester and as a Manager at Household Finance. In 1971, he started at Chase in repossession before moving to the Credit Card Department. Before he left Chase, he worked his way up to Operation Manager.

He moved to Buffalo in 1979, when he was hired as a collector by Commercial Collection Corp (CCC) of NY. Within two years he had an ownership interest in the company. Over the next 42 years, Bob worked to grow the organization from eleven employees to nearly 100 and from its small local base to one of the premier international commercial collection companies with offices in Buffalo, Ohio, Louisville, Ft Lauderdale, Saratoga Springs, Minneapolis, NYC and Ontario and Montreal, Canada. He had a passion for the work and for ensuring the longevity of the company for its clients and employees. He believed in taking care of people and creating a home for them. He believed in allowing them to flourish, thus giving people an opportunity to be the best version of themselves. Because of his leadership and values, CCC has been and will always be a family.

He firmly believed that commercial collections is a valuable part of a healthy economy. He was a lion in the industry and a champion of collections. When the Buffalo News ran a series of disparaging articles about the collection industry; he became so irate he wrote a letter to the editor arguing on behalf of the industry. His letter was published as a rebuttal.

He was a member of the International Association of Commercial Collectors (IACC) and the Commercial Law League (CLLA) since 1982, holding many positions and winning many awards throughout the years:  2000 – 2002 Chair Elect of the Commercial Collection Agency Association (CCAA)  of the CLLA, 2002 – 2004 Chair of the CCAA, 2005 – 2008 Agency at Large Representative to the Board of Governors and Agency Section Representative of the CLLA, 2008 – 2019 IACC Board of Directors member, 2008 – 2011 member of the council for the CCAA of CLLA, 2013 President of the IACC, 2014 Chair of the CLLA for the Eastern District. In 2008, he won the Robert E Caine Leadership Award of the CLLA in recognition of his leadership.  Followed by the IACC Leadership and Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Leadership and Dedicated Service to the Commercial Collection Profession in 2017 and the CLLA Presidents Cup recipient 2019, a distinguished trifecta of awards.

Active participation in the community was a very important of Bob’s life. He was a season ticket holder to Shea’s, the BPO, the Bisons and the Buffalo Sabres. For over 25 years, he attended nearly every home game as a Buffalo Bills season ticket holder. He was an avid tennis player serving as a one-time board director of the Buffalo Racquet Club and a longtime member of the Village Glen Tennis Club. He also played golf as often as possible and was a member of Park Country Club. Additionally, he took many opportunities to support local charities, believing in sharing his own good fortune. As part of his contributions, he won Top Team Player of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Sports Day.

All of these passions: his faith, the Bills, baseball, golf, tennis, theatre, music, travel, charity, military, and work-ethic, he shared with his family and friends.  His mark will forever be felt by his wife, children, grandchildren, and friends when attending musicals, symphonies, sporting events and traveling across the country and around the world.

In addition to his parents, Ralph Conrad Ingold, Sr. and Virginia (Page) Ingold, he is predeceased by his brother, Ralph Conrad “Con” Ingold, Jr. and his nephew Robert Conrad Ingold.

He is survived by his loving wife, Kimberly Ingold whom he married in Tonawanda, NY on December 3, 1994. Also survived by his seven children, Chris Ingold, Elizabeth (Chris) Carll, Jonathon (Angela) Nelson, Valerie (Stephen Gabris) Ingold, Nicholas (Elizabeth) Ingold, Patrick (Allison) Nelson, and Matthew (Laura) Ingold; grandchildren, Grace Ingold, Amber and Collen Lubberts, Amelia and Olivia Nelson, Vivienne Ingold, Aubree and Emma Nelson, Finnegan and Violet Ingold, Teegan Carll, and great grandchildren.

He is also survived by cousins, Betsy Weir, Barbara Ann Bushnell, and Jane Weir, nieces Constance Ferris, Stephanie Burke, Virgina Riggall, nephew Grant Ingold and many great-nieces and nephews.

The family will welcome friends on Thursday, November 18 and Friday, November 19 from 4PM - 6PM at Fretthold and Hamp Cremation and Funeral Services, 37 Adam St, Tonawanda, NY 14150, where a celebration of life will be held at 10AM on Saturday, November 20. A graveside ceremony will follow at Elmlawn Memorial Park, St. John Garden, 3939 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14217.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Buffalo, (hospicebuffalo.com/giving/give-hospice/), Hospice Foundation, PO Box 590, Buffalo, NY 14240-0590, or by calling 716.686.8090.

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