Robert Willis Obituary

Robert Keith Willis, of Springdale AR, passed away on July 29, 2023 at the age of 74. Bob was a gentle soul, loving husband, father and friend and will be missed by all who knew him. Bob was born on March 23, 1949 to Robert Francis Willis and Augusta Wilhelmina Rech Willis.

Bob is survived by his wife of 42 years, Carolyn Bean Willis; his sons and daughter-in-law: Robert "Alex" Willis and his wife Jaclyn of Fairfax VA, and Theodore "Ted" Willis of Springdale; his sisters: Linda Harrison and her husband, Steve, of Creve Coeur IL and Connie Doyle and her husband, Rodney, of Easton IL, his brother Scott Willis and his wife, Sue, of Washington IL; his brother-in-law Roger Bean of Springdale; and his nieces, nephews and their children.

Bob graduated from Richwood High School in Peoria, IL in 1967 and Western Illinois University in 1973 with a major in physics. He worked as a laborer at Hiram Walker Distillery intermittently to pay his college tuition. In 1977, Bob moved to Washington DC to begin a 33-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), first as a clerk and later as an Electro-Optical Engineer. Bob and Carolyn married in 1981 and raised their two amazing sons in Burke VA where the Willis family lived for more than 30 years. They were longtime members of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Springfield VA.

Bob retired from the FBI in January 2010 and Carolyn retired from the Department of Defense at the same time. They moved to Springdale AR in 2012 and have been members of First Presbyterian Church of Springdale for more than 10 years. In 2011, Bob and Carolyn decided to take a cruise to Alaska. They liked it a lot and became avid cruisers. They went to Paris, spent a lot of time in London, visited the beautiful cities of Buda and Pest, loved Australia and New Zealand, got to see St Petersburg Russia, survived the Viking Sky shipwreck off the coast of Norway, visited French Polynesia, stood in front of the Berlin wall, saw penguins in Argentina and the Falkland Islands, and watched whales breaching in Antarctica.

Bob loved history, especially military history, playing war games, reading and running.

The family would like to thank the nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants at North Hills Rehab and Lifecare in Fayetteville AR who provided loving care in Bob's final weeks.

Bob's Memorial Service was held at First Presbyterian Church of Springdale on August 15, 2023 at 2:00 PM and was privately interred in the Church Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to First Presbyterian Church of Springdale (100 S Gutensohn Rd, Springdale AR 72762) for the Christian United Pantry (CUP.) Bob volunteered at CUP for many years and worked through a good part of the Pandemic. Fighting hunger in his community brought Bob great joy.