Roberto was born on June 23, 1971, in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Roberto and Olivia Lopez. Shortly after his birth, they settled in Kansas City’s Westside neighborhood where Olivia had previously lived when she arrived to the United States at the age of 11. Roberto attended Switzer Elementary, Westport Middle, and graduated from Westport High School in 1989.
Throughout high school, Roberto was very active in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). During his junior year (‘87/’88), he was awarded All-City Command Sergeant Major. During his senior year (‘88/’89), he was awarded All-City Colonel, KC’s highest ranking amongst all high school participants.
After high school graduation, Roberto received a scholarship to attend the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, but made the decision to return home at the completion of Boot Camp in San Diego, CA. Shortly after, Roberto continued his studies and graduated from Rockhurst University with his Bachelors in Business Administration in 1995. Throughout these years, Roberto had worked as an Account Executive at AT&T.
After college graduation, Roberto worked as a counselor for LULAC National Education Service Center. Roberto believed in LNESC’s mission to increase educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans through the development and implementation of effective programs in Hispanic communities. It was thru the Hispanic Leadership Opportunity Program (HLOP) that Roberto was able to meet and mentor students by providing them with leadership trainings and opportunities to make a positive impact in their respective communities.
In 2000, Roberto began working at T-Mobile, but continued to volunteer his time working with students that were attending summer leadership opportunities with the National Hispanic Institute (NHI). It was during the Summer of 2002 that Roberto met his soulmate, Michelle Ramirez, at the Great Debate at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. They began dating over the years and Roberto continued his professional career with SBC Yellow Pages. In 2008, Roberto & Michelle moved to Texas where he began his employment with Convergys.
On October 21, 2011, Roberto & Michelle became husband & wife in a beautiful ceremony in McAllen, Texas. Shortly after, they moved to Sherman, Texas, when he began working for Mediastream. On November 5, 2012, Michelle gave birth to their beautiful baby, Iliana Sofia.
Roberto & Michelle moved back to Kansas City, Missouri, in 2013 where he joined ULPS. In 2017, he began working with New York Life and found his niche. Roberto was always outgoing, friendly, willing to help others, and had a unique way of navigating families through the planning and implementation process for their future – whether it was with investment/retirement/educational accounts or life insurance, he wanted to make sure that families were prepared.
Roberto loved music, playing the guitar, and going to concerts. He always enjoyed a good happy hour, listening to music, and spending time with his friends. His favorite genre was 80’s Rock and his favorite band was Van Halen. He wanted to participate in sports, but never quite was able to play any sport without injuring himself! He made up for it by being a sports fan. He loved baseball and the Kansas City Royals. He enjoyed taking his family to root for the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Roberto’s ultimate love was his family. He loved his wife, Michelle, and adored his daughter, Iliana Sofia. She was the sparkle of his eyes. Iliana softened Roberto with her birth and had a way of wrapping him around her finger to get him to do anything for her.
Roberto is preceded in death by his father, Roberto. He is survived by his wife, Michelle; daughter, Iliana Sofia; mother, Olivia; siblings, Ricardo, Sonia (David), and Luis-Miguel; niece and nephews, Rita, Timothy, Analisa, Jacob, and Matthew; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Roberto’s visitation will be held on Monday, June 1st from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm with a private service at 12:00 pm. Services will be streamed live via McGilley Memorial Chapel-Midtown’s Facebook page. He will be laid to rest at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Kansas City, KS.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to everyone for the support, thoughts, and prayers. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a contribution to Iliana Sofia’s 529 College Savings Plan. Please visit Ugift529.com and enter in Iliana’s unique code: B2P-L48.
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