Robert Emmett Kessler

Robert “Bob” E. Kessler, 90, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at his home, surrounded by family. He was born February 26, 1935, to John Frank and Dorothy May (Porter) Kessler, the middle of three sons.

Bob was born at home on 69th Street between Troost Avenue and Rockhill Road, in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Graceland Elementary in 1948 and Paseo High School in 1953. In his youth, he played little league baseball and was often coached by his father. He threw a no-hitter once, although he was mainly a catcher. In high school, he was a recognized athlete lettering in both track and field, and football, where he was selected to the all-star second team in football his senior year scoring 4 touchdowns, rushing for 204 yards, and receiving passes for additional 155 yards. He was a member of the radio club, and was the recipient of the Jack Davenport Award his senior year. He worked as a pin setter at a local bowling alley.

After graduation, Bob began his college education and career working at the Chevrolet-Leeds Assembly plant in Kansas City, Missouri, operated by General Motors and attending their cooperative engineering program at the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan. He earned his diploma in mechanical engineering in 1957. Subsequently, he received a bachelor’s degree in general engineering from Kansas City University in 1960 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Missouri in 1964.

Bob met Barbara Starling the summer of 1954. They were engaged in November 1958, and married on October 24,1959, at Broadway Baptist Church in Kansas City. Together, they had three children: Susan Lynn, who sadly passed away in infancy, Brian Scott, and Eric Matthew. Bob’s dedication to family was steadfast. He attended his sons’ school, club, and athletic events, cheering on and cherishing their achievements and milestones, which included presenting both with their high school diplomas. They enjoyed annual summer vacations canoeing on the North Fork of the White River in the Missouri Ozarks and winter trips to ski in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

After finishing his education, Bob held a variety of engineering positions that took his career from Missouri (Bendix 1957-1965) to Colorado (Honeywell 1965-1966) and Michigan (Bendix Research Laboratories 1966-1967) before returning to Kansas City where he retired from AlliedSignal, a successor of Bendix, in 1993. At Bendix/AlliedSignal, he contributed to the nation’s defense efforts, facilitating the advancement of computer-integrated manufacturing for the production of the non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons. He regularly visited the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories at Lawrence Livermore (CA), Oak Ridge (TN), and Sandia and Los Alamos (NM). Prior to 1969, he worked in components engineering, systems engineering, process engineering, engineering administration, and research and development administration. Later, he worked in strategic planning for computer integrated manufacturing and technology transfer, facilitating relationships between federal agencies, state governments, and university researchers. At home, he maintained a display of computers he had collected, beginning with the his first desktop device, a Commodore PET, purchased in 1977.

A committed public servant, Bob served as president of the South Suburban Junior Athletic Association (SSJAA) executive committee, while his sons were active in little league football. He was elected to the Center School District board of education (1980), serving six years during times of change. He was elected board vice president during his second term, and was integral in the integration of computer technology in the schools. He was a member of Common Cause, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding values of American Democracy. His expanding interests in education led him to found Knowledge Communications Technologies in 1988, a non-profit organization, where he consulted on the transfer of educational research and technology for improving learning and teaching in K-12 education. After retirement, he served on the executive board of the Friends of Linda Hall Library, and volunteered many hours with Paseo Alliance, Trailside Center, Science Pioneers, and the Blue River Watershed Association.

Bob embraced learning and community building on a global scale as well. He and Barbara traveled with People to People International (PTPI) to China and Hong Kong for a conference on Computers in Education (1987), where he gave a presentation on “Expert Teaching: Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Intelligent Tutoring Systems" at Beijing University. They traveled to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji in association with the World Conference on Computers in Education (1990). With PTPI, they participated in a Conference on Peace in Understanding in Malaysia (1998). They also traveled in separate trips to Canada, England, Scotland, and Wales, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and Hawaii with, and to, visit friends.

Bob was an avid consumer of news and non-fiction, with an extensive library, who could often be found reading and highlighting a newspaper, magazine, or book from one of the numerous stacks he maintained. He was fond of the Kansas City Star and the Economist. Being a member of numerous professional societies fostering science, technology, engineering, and math education provided additional and ample reading opportunities. Besides reading, he might be observed watching his favorite television news programs which included the PBS News Hour and 60 Minutes. For over thirty years, Bob and Barbara, participated in a couples discussion group meeting monthly for dialogue on current events prepared by the Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association. Known for a smile and friendly laugh, he was a curious and optimistic person, principled in nature, who valued a meaningful conversation and discussion. In later years, he spoke often of happiness and empathy, inspired by the Dali Lama and bonobos, respectively.

Bob was preceded in death by his daughter, Susan Lynn; his parents, John and Dorothy Kessler; his brother and sister-in-law, Johnny and Marilyn Kessler. He is survived by Barbara, his wife of sixty-five plus years; his son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Katherine Kessler of Grand Junction, CO, their two children, Anne Kessler and her fiancé, Eli Zehe of Denver, CO, and Dylan Kessler of Boise, ID; his son, Eric Kessler and his children, Maura (Kessler) and Carter Steer, Rebecca Kessler, and Owen Kessler, all residing in the Kansas City area. He is also survived by nephews, nieces, countless friends, colleagues, and mentees, whose lives he touched.

A visitation will be held at 1:00 pm, Tuesday, November 25 at Linda Hall Library, 5109 Cherry St., Kansas City, Missouri. A service will follow at 2:00 pm.