2016 Spring/Summer Highlights of Hope

A Donor’s Story: Love at First Sight—
Robin and Mike Schwark
Robin met Mike Schwark during their junior year at
the University of Michigan. Robin was the business
manager of the U-M hockey band and Mike was
a young saxophone player. On the first day of
rehearsal, Robin noticed Mike looking at her from
across the room, and when their eyes met, it was
love at first sight.
Mike and Robin were married on Halloween. It was a
day picked by coincidence, but instead of changing
the date, the two embraced the craziness of the
holiday and incorporated costumes and decorations
into their wedding reception. Mike was a gorilla and
Robin was Groucho Marx. Their wedding was the
beginning of a beautiful family that would grow to
include three sons and serve as a source of strength
during Mike’s battle with brain cancer.
Robin and Mike Schwark with their three sons Kallen, Aaron and Adam.
Mike passed away in the family home on Oct. 27,
2014—four days before their anniversary. After
Mike’s passing, Robin received an outpouring of support
from friends and those who had known Mike professionally.
Mike, a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, had
developed a network of hundreds of clients that he treated
like family. His long-time business partner and friend,
Barbara Paneral, was one of the speakers at Mike’s funeral.
“When Mike died in 2014, Barbara and the employees in
Mike’s office wanted to honor him, so they hosted fundraisers
throughout 2015 to collect funds for Van Andel Institute,”
Robin said. “It started out with a pancake breakfast, because
Mike loved pancakes, and the fundraisers took off from
there.”
Mike’s co-workers raised more than $10,000 to benefit brain
cancer research at the Institute, and Mike’s name will be
added to the Institute’s donor wall during the Leadership and
Legacy event in May 2016.
Robin is encouraged by the Institute’s work in brain cancer
and is pleased that the funds collected in her husband’s
memory went directly to fund research.
“The more I read, the more I discovered that there
is real lack of funding for brain cancer research,”
Robin said. “When I found out that the Institute
was studying brain cancer, I was thrilled.”
Mike Schwark was a proud father, a loving husband and a
person who touched many lives. Robin believes his legacy is
evident in the way he lived, up until the very last moment.
“Mike always said, ‘Whatever can be learned from
my experience will help the next person with this
cancer,’ Robin said. “He was never angry, nor
sad, and he showed our boys how to live during
adversity—with love, faith and humor. It was a
glorious marriage.”
Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope | 5