Robert M. Stern died May 17 in Oakland, California. He was 87.

Born in Boston in August 1927 and a long-time resident of Ann Arbor, Stern was an world renowned international economist. He was on the faculty of the University of Michigan from 1961 until his retirement in 1999. A professor in the Department of Economics and later also the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Stern continued to teach in the Ford School after his formal retirement until his move to California, and continued to teach at the University of California-Berkeley through the fall of 2014.

Stern was known for his many articles and books on international trade policy, including his work with the Michigan Model of World Production and Trade, a computer-based model that he developed with colleagues. He also was known as an organizer of conferences that often brought together academics and policy professionals, and as an editor of numerous volumes of scholarly research.

Stern was much loved by colleagues and by generations of students, especially the many masters and Ph.D. students who took his courses and worked under his direction. After the death of his beloved wife Lucetta in 2009, he moved to California in December 2009 to be closer to his daughter, Caroline, in Oakland and his son, Everett, in Seattle, both of whom were nearby when he died.

He is survived by his son, Everett Stern of Seattle, Washington; and his daughter, Caroline Stern (Bruce Williams); and grandson, Estuardo Williams.

A memorial is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, June 29, at Weill Hall, Betty Ford Classroom (1110), 735 South State Street.