Robert Darryl Firnhaber

Robert Darryl Firnhaber was born August 22, 1935, to Charles Lester and Harriet Schoonover Firnhaber in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bob died of natural causes on October 25, 2024, at Santa Marta Retirement Community, where he had lived since early 2017.

Bob graduated from Wauwatosa High School in 1953, in Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In high school, he was active in speech competitions and enjoyed performing in school plays, where he often played lead roles. This began his lifelong love for the theater and enhanced his natural persuasive skills and gift of gab. He ran track in high school and later began jogging, an activity that persisted through most of his life. Bob graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Business Management. During his college years, he worked in radio, did standup comedy, and often handled the role of emcee for Sigma Chi fraternity events. He was named a national “Significant Sig” in 2005.

After a short stint with the Edsel division of the Ford Motor Company and service on active duty with the US Army, Bob joined Hallmark Cards in 1958 as a sales representative. He moved to Kansas City in 1972, taking on assignments of increasing responsibility in sales and product management. His 39 years with Hallmark included 11 years as President of the Ambassador brand, where he was instrumental in expanding the company’s presence and success in mass channels of distribution. He built strong relationships with key retailers, both in Ambassador and a subsequent position with the Hallmark brand. Bob retired from Hallmark December 31,1997, as Hallmark Vice President-Retail Development.

Bob lived out his guideline of “don’t retire from something but to something” with years of community service and emphasis on time with family and a growing number of grandchildren. Family time was a priority. From having fun in the pool, to trips to the beach and the mountains, to celebrating special events and holidays, Bob was at the heart of frequent good times. In support of his range of interests, Bob helped foster the revitalization of 18th and Vine with service on the Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation and the board of the American Jazz Museum. He remained connected to theater and the arts as a longtime member and chair of the board of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

Bob was particularly passionate about his work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. He was an active board member, helping with fund development, adding new Club sites, and representing the Clubs at state and national conferences. He served two terms as board chair and was named an Emeritus Board Member in 2023. Bob established a scholarship program in 2018 to further post-secondary education opportunities for Club kids and to honor retiring executive director Dave Smith.

Bob’s favorite pastime was baseball. This began in his youth with the Milwaukee Braves and continued with the Kansas City Royals. He shared his passion for the game with his grandchildren by organizing family holiday baseball games that featured the grandkids playing in the front yard. He cheered them on at their t-ball, softball, little league, high school and even college games, and shared the excitement of Royals games at Kauffman stadium with them. He was a 50-year season ticket holder of the Royals, loyal through good and bad years, and was thrilled to attend three World Series match-ups.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Sally Groves, three children from his earlier marriage to Nancy Lotter, Dave (Sally) Firnhaber, Susan (Craig) Timmer, and Carole (Edward) Barr, and his stepson Rob Groves. He is also survived by ten grandchildren, Lily, Matthew and Tommy Firnhaber; JT (Katie) and Kirsten Timmer; Cole, Harrison and Sean Barr; and Eleanor and Whittaker Groves.

Friends are invited to join family members on December 13, anytime between 5-9 pm at Strang Reserve, 8020 Marty, Overland Park, Kansas, to celebrate Bob’s life. In lieu of flowers, Bob would suggest memorial contributions be made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, 4001 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Suite 102, Kansas City, MO 64130 or a charity of your choice.