For Robert "Bear" Koehler, 70, education was a way of life.

"He lived as he taught," James Thomas, dean of the Smeal College of Business, said. "Bob as a teacher and Bob as an individual were one and the same."

Koehler, associate professor emeritus of accounting in the Smeal College of Business, drowned Jan. 3 while swimming off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was caught in a rip current, according to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office.

Koehler taught accounting classes for more than 40 years. A Penn State alumnus, he earned both his bachelor's and masters' degrees at Penn State, receiving

his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He joined the Smeal faculty in 1963, where he remained until his retirement in 2003.

"He definitely took a vow of poverty by going into academics," said Mark Dirsmith, an accounting professor and a longtime friend of Koehler's. "But he loved Penn State."

Koehler garnered many awards, including three Certificates of Merit from the Institute of Management Accountants. In 2002, the Department of Accounting honored him as the Accounting Alumnus of the Year.

After his retirement, Koehler continued to teach accounting classes and act as an adviser for the Smeal Accounting Club and the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, of which he was a member. In 1994, Phi Sigma Kappa honored Koehler for his 40 years of support by establishing the Dr. Robert W. Koehler Endowment.

"He was a great liaison with the student organizations," Dan Givoly, chairman of the accounting department, said. "He was loved by students and had a good rapport with them."

Erik Silko, a member of Phi Sigma Kappa, graduated in 2005 but remembered Koehler as a dedicated adviser, who often time put in more time at the fraternity than the students did.

"He always put us first, even when we were pains in the butts," Silko said.

Faculty and students knew Koehler as a passionate and fun-loving man with a taste for the finer things in life.

"Bob was always first-class," Thomas said. "If he gave you a bottle of wine as a gift, it was a good bottle of wine."

Givoly said Koehler exuded happiness.

"He was a unique person who brought sunlight into the department," Givoly said. "He had a smile on whenever you saw him."

While stories about "Bear" Koehler are well documented, the true origin of his nickname is not.

"I always thought it was for 'Koehler Bear,' like polar bear," Thomas said. "But I'll probably get 15 phone calls telling me I'm wrong."

Koehler visited Fort Lauderdale every summer for more than 30 years. He went swimming in the ocean about twice a year.

"He lived a good, uncomplicated life," Dirsmith said. "He went into the ocean at full health."

Koehler is survived by his brother, his sister and three nephews.

A memorial service will be held from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Feb 2. in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center's Worship Hall.