Robert “Bob” Stearns Brockman, 91, living at the Veterans Home in Warrensburg, Missouri died on July 13, 2017. Visitation will be from 9:30-10:30 a.m. followed by funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 11822 Holmes Rd. Burial in Mt. Moriah Cemetery.
Bob was born in Kansas City, Missouri on March 3, 1926. He attended Westport and Lillis High Schools, and received his GED after serving in the Army with the 749th Railway Operating Battalion in the Philippines from 1944-1946. Bob attended Rockhurst College.
Bob is predeceased by wife Charlotte; parents Furn and Gladys Brockman; brother Furn, Jr.; in-laws Herman and Helen Stoltze; brothers-in-law Jerry and Milton Stoltze; sisters-in-law Marsha Brockman, Barbara Bailey, Janet Swartz, and second wife Loretta A. Dempsey. He is survived by children Eric (Janet), Thornton, CO; Durinda (Daniel) Reaman, Johnstown, PA; Robert II (Robin), Overland Park; and Lori (Charles) Fuller, Midlothian, VA. Survived by siblings Virginia Jensen, Colby, KS; Ted (Carole), Kansas City, MO; Carolyn (Jim) Smith, O’Fallon, MO; Jane (Fred) Broski, Overland Park; Marilyn (Joe) Weld, Overland Park; and Barney, Leavenworth, KS. Bob is also survived by sisters-in-law Bonnie Brockman, Plano, TX; Nell Stoltze, Georgetown, TX; 12 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and lifelong friend E. Jay Cahill.
Bob was a kind, loving, patient, and generous person. His family always came first even from a young age when he worked various jobs to help the family. He never met a stranger. He loved to talk to people and try new things. He married Charlotte Stoltze (My Lil Char) on December 2, 1949, and they moved to Grandview, MO in 1956. Their house was the first on Applewood Drive. Bob and Char lived there until 1992. Bob was a parishioner and Eucharist Minister at Coronation of Our Lady Church (Grandview) and St. Thomas More (Kansas City).
Bob was a man of many talents. During WWII, he worked on the railroad. In later years, he continued to join the 749th reunions and organized a reunion in Kansas City in 1988. Bob worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company from 1948 until he retired in 1985. He was an installer, manager, and trainer in Kansas City and Belton, MO. He was an accomplished woodworker and carver. His sawdust-covered basement was evidence of his love for wood-craft. He also repaired cameras in Bob’s Camera Repair Shop from 1961 to 1966. In addition, he enjoyed drawing, painting and making crafts. One of his greatest loves was traveling. Bob and Char created the original “adventure vacation.” Together, they cruised the Nile, motored through the locks and canals of England, spent Christmas in Bethlehem, sailed to Alaska, and took a most memorable family vacation to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Bob also traveled across the U.S. and around the world including trips to China and Australia. He lived and worked in Tehran, Iran from 1978 to 1979 and witnessed the Hyatt disaster in 1981. As a member of the Lion’s Club and Telephone Pioneers he adopted the persona of Fenimore Oglethorp Zybysko and clowned at many events and parades. He also belonged to the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Veteran’s Assistance League, c/o Missouri Veterans Home, 1300 Veterans Road, Warrensburg, Missouri 64093.
Arrangements under the direction of Mt Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.
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