Apr 21, 1935 – Jun 24, 2025
Robert (Bob) Lillie passed away on June 24th, 2025 at the age of 90.
Bob was born on Easter Sunday, April 21, 1935, in Emmetsburg, Iowa to James and Irene Lillie. He grew up in Spencer, Iowa and attended Spencer High School. He loved Lake Okoboji and spent many hours fishing there. Bob is preceded in death by his parents, James and Irene Lillie and his brother, Jim Lillie.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Karen Lillie, his daughters, Beth Proctor and Kristi Garcia (Joe), and his five grandchildren, Bailey Proctor, Brooke Evans (John), PJ Garcia, Nick Garcia and Gabe Garcia.
Bob graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a degree in Education. It was there that he met his wife, Karen, and they moved to the Kansas City area after graduation. Bob loved his family. He and Karen had two daughters and five grandchildren. He attended all the school activities and watched hundreds of soccer games. Bob was an avid gardener and won multiple “Yard of the Month” awards in his neighborhood. He was also active with the Lenexa Park Board and the Lenexa Historical Society and judged many Lenexa BBQ contests. He enjoyed running and ran multiple marathons. Keeping active was important to him and he went to the gym three times a week until he was 85.
Bob loved cheering on the Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks and was often found wearing a shirt from either team. One of his favorite activities was his Monday Night Football Group – it started in the 70’s with a group of men from his neighborhood. Bob and Karen were also members of their “Dining Out” group which started in the 80’s. Both groups continued on throughout the rest of their lives where they made many treasured friendships. For his career, Bob worked in the insurance industry for thirty years. He also had a home-based upholstery business for many years.
A Celebration of Life is planned on Sunday, June 29th from 5-7pm at the Overland Park Arboretum LongHouse Event Center in the Gathering Place.
Those who knew him know he loved a glass of red wine – so in honor of Bob, sit on your porch on a beautiful evening and raise a glass to the memory of this wonderful man.
Obituary published by Cremation Society of Kansas & Missouri.
