Robert M. "Bob" Wachter

Bob attended Christian Brothers High School in St Joe, where he played baseball and basketball and graduated in 1943. Immediately after graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving on the Pacific front until August 1945. His first assignment was the Jimmy Roosevelt-led 4th Raider Battalion and later the 4th Marine Regiment. He saw action on Guadalcanal and Okinawa, receiving the Purple Heart.

After the war, he enrolled at the University of Missouri where, as a 21 yr. old freshman, he played basketball and baseball, lettering 4 years in each. He recently lamented that he tried out as a punter for the MU football team, but basketball coach Sparky Stalcup wouldn’t let him play… basketball was his scholarship. He wanted to play football so he could letter in 3 sports. While at Mizzou, he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Upon graduation, and while working on his Masters, he was offered a job with the KC Blues, a farm club of the NY Yankees. He served as traveling secretary and had great stories of making safe travel arrangements for Mickey Mantle, who former Marine buddy and Yankee outfielder Hank Bauer called “The next big phenom.” It was his time with the Yankee organization that he spoke most fondly about….” Once a Yankee, Always a Yankee.”

In 1956, when the major league Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City, he was hired and worked, among other things, in preparing Municipal Stadium to be a major league stadium. In 1963, he parted ways with the legendary Charlie Finley and the A’s. He worked briefly as a scout for the Washington Senators before being the first person hired in KC for the KC Chiefs, (former Dallas Texans) who relocated to KC also in 1963. He served as both ticket and stadium manager for the Chiefs during the 60’s. When Jackson County passed the bond to build the Truman Sports Complex, he became Director of Operations and oversaw construction, hiring, maintenance, concessions, parking and security for the then unnamed Arrowhead Stadium. He continued in that role until his retirement in 1989. He was one of the founding members of the United States Stadium Managers Association.

Always an athlete, Bob was an avid golfer who was the Missouri Senior Golf Association State Champion for his age group in 1981,1999 and 2001 while a member of Liberty Hills Country Club. He and wife Betty made annual Golf Treks with their many friends each spring.

His beloved wife of 57+ years, Betty-Jo Bagenstos Wachter, preceded him in death in 2012. For the last 5 years of her life, he was at her side for at least 3 hours/day, everyday, while she resided in New Mark Nursing Home.

He is also preceded in death by son, Gregory Wachter (2011) and grandson Reed Hamilton (1990) and survived by daughters Karla (Tom) Kutz of St. Louis, MO and Gretchen (Bud) Hamilton of Scottsdale, AZ. He is also survived by 4 grandchildren: Krista Kutz (Craig Scanlon), Kyle (Shelby) Hamilton, Matt Kutz and Tori Hamilton and 3 great grandchildren: Asher and Naomi Scanlon and Wyatt Hamilton.

Donations in Bob’s memory can be made to the Tiger Scholarship Fund: Mizzou Athletics, 1 Champions Drive, Suite 200, Columbia, MO 65211 or through their website at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/mizzou/EN/donation/donate/browse

Private graveside service and burial at White Chapel Cemetery in Gladstone, MO. Services can be viewed online through Facebook Live "Newcomer's White Chapel Funeral Home & Cemetery on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 10:00 AM.