St. Petersburg-based financial services founder dies at 89

The founder of St. Petersburg-based financial services company Bankers Financial Corp., Bob Menke, died May 4. He was 89.  

In addition to founding a $550 million business, Menke won the admiration of many, in the business community and among his friends and family, for his zest for life, his obituary states. He died "peacefully at home with his family at his side," according to a statement from CEO John Strong and President Rob Menke, Bob Menke's son.

“At the age of 89, his family often joked they couldn’t keep up," the obituary from his family reads. "He loved life, he knew how to live it, he worked hard and he played even harder.”