A dear friend passed away and joined Les for eternal rest.

I am so sorry to hear of Bobby's passing...Mary Jo O'Toole Kessler (Vivian Needham O'Toole's oldest dtr)

When I first met ole Dad 30-something years ago, I thought he was one of the smartest people I had ever met, and I still think that.  

He was also incredibly optimistic.  He could figure out how to fix just about anything.  He never saw obstacles; only opportunities.  And what he learned, he shared.  Just about everything I know about plumbing and rehabbing I learned from him.  He taught me how to sweat pipe and that the secret to keeping cold water pipes from leaking was to put a piece of white bread in pipe first.  He also taught me that there's a solution to just about anything if you give it enough thought.  

He would help with anything.  One time I was way out in west county with all of the kids, and after I set my keys down on the counter to pay for my purchase, the person in front of me inadvertently picked them up and was long gone before I realized it.  He had a spare key to our house, so I called him and he went to get the spare car key which was in a very messy room in an old backpack behind a huge pile of laundry, and drove it out to me.  He never even mentioned the mess or the inconvenience.  I apologized and thanked him profusely, to which he just said, Well, I don't know what else you could have done.  To him, it was just another problem solved.

He never knew a stranger.  He only knew friends he hadn't met yet.  His warmth was infectious and he loved an audience of any size.   He loved to tell stories about people he had met throughout his lifetime, from grade school on up.  Even multiple times, to be sure you had all of the details correct.  But there were rules.  For one, there had to be some purpose in telling it.  Usually because it was hilarious.  A little scandalous was okay if it added to the humor.  Occasionally the intent was a warning -- his most direct way of telling you that you might want to reconsider something.    Rule number two was that, whether living or not, you had never met the subject person.  Story-telling could not ever be construed as gossip.  Unless it was funny things that kids said or did.  Whenever they watched our kids, his report would always be whatever they did that made him laugh.  He didn't mention the other things  I'm sure he figured we were well enough aware of those anyway.  Like the time Christine was around two or three and upon entering shouted, as he reported, what the h-e-double hockey sticks is going on here!

He was even funny when he was irritated.  He didn't have many pet peeves, but I do recall one was news casters pronouncing foreign words in the native accent.  Which he would then demonstrate.  

He had quick humor for every occasion.  When we all arrived ahead of the priest for our wedding rehearsal, he quickly offered to hear confession to help pass the time while we were all waiting.

When we were stumped with how to disguise a window that ended up on an interior wall because of a room addition, he came up with a plan to convert it to a built-in bookshelf.  He was helping me put it together and commented that the new boards were really nice, to which I replied, oh, thanks, they're poplar and he quipped right back, oh, I know!  Everyone's getting them!    

He even enjoyed that he couldn't remotely carry a tune, and made it a point to sing the loudest just to make all of us laugh.  

He will be missed by many people now.  I've already missed him for a good while.  But I know that when I see him next, he will be his spunky, funny, adorable self with the spring back in his step and the twinkle back in his eyes.  

I have no doubt that Heaven just became a livelier place.  I am sure he's already entertaining the crowd, and if there's food, he likely already knows the best place to get pasta with white sauce and banana cream pie.    If there are any HVAC or other improvements needed, plans are well underway.  And you know they're playing Irish music.  And he's singing along!

It was my pleasure to have met Mr.Cronin. Mrs Cronin and Family you all are in my Prayers. God Bless You All.

OBITUARY

Robert E. Cronin

February 17, 1928 – May 30, 2017

Kriegshauser Mortuary-West Chapel

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