GE Plastics spokesman Robert Hess, 59, died Nov. 14 at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., due to complications from a stroke.
Hess, who lived in Lanesborough, was born in Cleveland. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, in 1969 and began his public relations career in 1972 at Carl Byoir and Associates.
He was with Borg-Warner Chemicals Inc. when General Electric Co. acquired that firm in 1988, and he became a communications leader for GE Plastics.
Hess, active in his community, created GE's Share-to-Gain community volunteer program. He helped GE raise more than $1 million in funding for Pittsfield and Berkshire County and he was a board member of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
Hess is survived by his wife, Kathryn, and sons Michael and Stephen.