Robert Richards Eulogy: 20 November 2003

A Sermon- Bob Richards’ Eulogy
 
      Sometime in the morning on June 11, 1909, Robert Charles Richards opened 
his eyes for the first time to the world.  He was born in a small frame house at 
1115 Railroad Ave. in Kewanee.  Bob was the second child of Charles and Anna 
Pollock Richards.  He was named after a Pollock family friend, Robert Ford.  His 
older sister, Genevieve, who was two at the time, apparently did not think too 
much of Bob.  She and a cousin named Ellen immediately ran away from home.  A 
farmer found the two girls near the viaduct along what is now Route 34 and 
brought them back.  After talking with her parents, Genevieve decided to stay 
and that Bob was probably worth keeping.  Thus began Bob’s 94-year journey 
through life.
 
      The life of Bob Richards was one of great wealth.  Not in terms of earning 
a lot of money, or living in a fancy house, or driving a brand new car every 
other year.  Bob’s life was enriched with something far more valuable than such 
things.  Bob’s wealth was measured by the love of his wife and family, the 
respect he earned from those who knew him, the wide range of experiences he had 
in his various jobs, and of course the passion he displayed with his love for 
history.
 
      Bob grew up in the Kewanee-Neponset area with his parents, Genevieve, and 
two other siblings, Florence and Melvin.  He was lucky enough to know his 
grandparents.  He was close to both of his grandfathers.
 
      He became a Cubs fan in 1921, when at the age of 12; some family friends 
took him to his first game.  Every life has frustration and disappointment.  
Being a fan of the Chicago Cubs would certainly provide that.
 
      Bob’s interest in history apparently did not expand to the other subjects 
of academia.  Six weeks into his sophomore year in high school, Bob quit school 
and started working in a bowling alley.  Now, there was nothing shameful about 
this.  In 1924, most people quit school following the 8th grade and went to 
work.  The only problem was that Bob neglected to tell his parents.  They did 
not find out until Report Cards came out and Bob did not have one.  On September 
25, 1925, Bob went to work at the Kewanee Boiler Shop, beginning a working 
career that would last almost 50 years.
 
      In 1927, he joined the Fraternal Order of Eagles #982 in Kewanee.  His 
Grandfather Pollock was a charter member of the Kewanee Lodge.  At the time Bob 
joined, he was just 17 years old and was the youngest member of the Eagles in 
the United States.  He went on to be President of the local lodge three times 
and remained a member his entire life.
 
      By 19, Bob started to spread his wings a bit.  He and his friends would go 
dancing six nights a week, traveling all over the countryside.  A common 
practice back then was to attend barn dances.  When someone constructed a new 
barn, a dance would be held in it while the building was still clean and fresh.  
In 1931, Louis Stotler built a new barn on his farm near Camp Grove.   As soon 
as it was done, Stotler and his friends planned a dance.  When it was held, Bob 
was there.  So was a young high school girl named Marcella Routh, who attended 
with her brothers and sisters and several friends.  Bob was real smooth.  He 
danced every dance, but not with her.  He danced with all of Marcella’s friends, 
but just kept passing her by.  She couldn’t figure out what the problem was.  
Well, they had what was called a tag dance, partners were switched mid-dance, 
and Bob ended up dancing with Marcella.  And as they say, the rest is history.  
After that dance, Bob and Marcella wrote to each other once a week.  After she 
graduated from high school, they began to date.  Finally, on February 18, 1933, 
Bob and Marcella were married in the Visitation Rectory here in Kewanee.
 
      They were blessed with three children; Robert Jr., Joan, and Dan. 
 
      Over the years, Bob provided for his family by various means.  He worked 
at the Boiler shop until 1943.  He worked at Demmler’s Machine Shop, drove the 
school bus for Neponset, farmed, and then was a business manager for the City of 
Kewanee.  In 1957 he and the family moved to Albuquerque, NM where he worked for 
a beauty supply company and Formica Company.  In 1960, Bob and the family moved 
to Galesburg to run donut shop and restaurant, and then a beauty supply company 
there.  In 1965, Bob came home to Kewanee and began to work at Hyster.  He 
retired in 1974.
 
      Bob Richards was many things.
 
      Bob was a workingman, a union man, always proud of the fact that he could 
get up each morning and leave his mark on the world with the talent from his own 
two hands.  
 
      Bob was a Democrat, and was not afraid to speak his mind on political 
issues.  He even ran for the state legislature in 1954 for the party.  Whether 
you agreed or disagreed with his politics, you could not help but respect Bob 
for his willingness to stand up and be counted for something he believed in.  In 
an age of political correctness and policy positions determined by the latest 
opinion poll, there was something refreshing about a man like Bob who looked you 
straight in the eye, spoke his mind with honesty, and then told you to get in 
line or get out of the way.
 
      Bob was a community leader, serving as a volunteer fireman, even serving 
as President of the Fire Board, and a regional Fire Board.  He was also 
President of the Wethersfield Agricultural Council.  He was active in AARP and 
the Henry County Senior Citizens. 
      Bob was a man of faith who loved his Lord and served his church as an 
Elder.  
 
      Finally, Bob was Kewanee’s Historian, a role he began in earnest following 
his retirement  
 
      After the death of his father, Bob’s mother lived with him and Marcella, 
as well as his other siblings.  She kept scrapbooks, which she shared with Bob.  
By sharing those scrapbooks with him, his interest in history kindled and grew.  
In time, he carried on that tradition, accumulating volumes and volumes of 
scrapbooks that contained an incredible wealth of historical information.
 
      As the nation celebrated its’ Bicentennial in 1976, Kewanee planned 
several activities of its’ own which promoted history.  At the same time, Bob, 
with the support of many others, called for the formation of a local historical 
society for Kewanee.    Realizing the need to preserve local history, Bob called 
for the formation of a new society.   At that first meeting on November 16, 
1976, Bob was elected President.  It was a position he would hold until 2001.  
Marcella was elected Secretary.  Their daughter Joan was elected to the Board of 
Directors.  It has been a family affair ever since then.  Eventually, Marcella 
became Treasurer and Joan was Secretary.  Joan’s husband, Bob Herrick joined the 
Board.  Bob’s sister Genevieve became a major supporter and benefactor.  And 
through it all, it was Bob’s leadership that made the Kewanee Historical Society 
what it is today.   To be sure, he had plenty of help.  There were many others 
who contributed their time and talent.  But no one came close to what Bob and 
Marcella did for Kewanee’s museum.  If it weren’t for them, there would not have 
been a Kewanee Historical Society.
 
      But that wasn’t the only way that Bob served Kewanee as its’ Historian.  
He was a walking encyclopedia.  Whenever Dave Clarke of the Star-Courier needed 
some information, all he would have to do is call up Bob.  If he could not come 
up with the answer off of the top of his head, he could find it with a quick 
trip to his scrapbook collection.  
 
      When people moved to town and purchased one of old fine homes here, they 
would seek out Bob who would gladly advise them on who build the house, how much 
it cost, and how many times it changed hands.  
 
      People would call from some distant state inquiring about some long lost 
relative.  Bob would provide them with all of the information they needed.  If 
they sent any money as payment, it went into the Society treasury.  Bob never 
took a dime.
 
Bob taught local history at Black Hawk East College.  
 
 
 
      Bob wrote several articles that were later published.  You can find the 
books containing these articles in the libraries of the Western Illinois 
University and the University of Illinois.  When Dan Rux was in high school, he 
was given an assignment to write about the Depression in Kewanee.  He was 
referred to Bob.  That contact sparked an idea in Bob, which led him to write 
and publish his book, The Depression Years.  It told of life in Kewanee from 
1929-1941.  Even today, you will find it in libraries all across the state as a 
source of anecdotal and statistical information on Kewanee.  Bob came a long way 
for a man who quit high school to work in a bowling alley.  
 
      When Bob wasn’t at the museum, he was on the front porch of his home on 
the corner of East Street and Pleasant View Ave.  There he held court, watching 
traffic, talking to visitors, and working on his scrapbooks.
 
      And while Bob got a lot of attention for leading the Historical Society, 
someone still had to clean the museum, dust, pick things up, file things away, 
balance the Society checkbook, and so on.  Those tasks and more fell to 
Marcella.  It may not have been the most glamorous work, but it was essential 
and necessary.  Without Marcella, Bob could not have accomplished as much, or 
served our town so well as its’ Historian.  And she loved doing it.  I suspect 
she did not have some great passion for Kewanee history.  Simply put, she loved 
doing it, because Bob loved doing it.  
 
      I am happy to say that most people appreciated all the things Bob and 
Marcella did for Kewanee.  In 1983 they were the Honorary Marshals of the Hog 
Days Parade.  Bob received the “Friend Of History Award” from the Illinois State 
Historical Society.  The League of Women Voters honored him in 1996.  The DAR 
and Burns Grange also honored Bob.  In 2002, the Kewanee Chamber of Commerce 
named Bob and Marcella “Citizens of the Year.”  But of all the awards Bob and 
Marcella got, I can’t help but think the most meaningful to them came in 2001 
when at the end of the 25th Anniversary Dinner for the Society, it was announced 
that the Kewanee Historical Society museum at 211 North Chestnut Street would be 
named “The Robert & Marcella Richards Museum.”  
 
      As the years passed, Bob had to start spending more and more time on that 
front porch, and less and less time in the museum that he loved.  Shortly after 
the anniversary dinner, Bob stepped down as President, accepting the title of 
President Emeritus.  And while his mind was always sharp as a tack, the reality 
was that his body simply wore out from a full and active life.  In the end, Bob 
accepted that final certainty of life with a quiet, yet profound dignity. 
 
 
 
 
      How does one measure the mark a man like Bob leaves on the world?  Perhaps 
one way is to add up the size of the bank accounts at the time of one’s death.  
But that would become meaningless once the estate was settled.  Perhaps another 
way would be to gaze upon the museum, with the bright red sign bearing Bob and 
Marcella’s name.  But the building could burn down tomorrow and its’ artifacts 
lost forever, with 211 N. Chestnut destined to become yet another parking lot in 
downtown Kewanee.
 
      I think Bob would say the greatest mark he left was his family.  If you 
visited with him for any length of time, he would inevitably talk about the 
latest achievement of his children or grandchildren, at the same time pulling 
out the latest picture of one of his great-grandchildren.  The swelling pride 
that shone in his eyes was proof enough of what he felt was really important in 
life.  That love that Bob gave and received is his real legacy.  It lives on in 
his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.    
 
      At the end of the day, it is not bank accounts, plaques and awards on the 
wall, or museums that matter.  It is how much you are respected by your friends 
and loved by your family.  In the spring of his life, Bob loved and was loved by 
his parents, grandparents, and siblings.  In the summer, he loved and was loved 
by his children Joan, Bob, Jr., and Dan.  In his autumn, he expanded that love 
to his expanded family of 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.  And 
through all the seasons, both good and bad, he loved his wife Marcella.  The 
last time I saw him, he told me that he counted up the time they had been 
together.  On November 1, he had to stop counting at 70 years, 8 months, and 11 
days.
 
      Shortly after 7 A.M. on November 18, 2003, Robert Charles Richards, Sr. 
opened his eyes for the first time to the world that is beyond our 
understanding.  I have little doubt that the first thing he saw was Marcella 
standing at his side.  Once again, Bob started to count their time together and 
this time, he will never have to stop.  They are together forever in a better 
place.  Let us not mourn their passing, but celebrate it as the climax and 
reward of two rich and full lives founded on love.
 
      May God bless Bob and Marcella.   And may God bless all those who loved 
them.
 
                                                                                 
         Eulogy For Robert C. Richards, Sr.
                                                                                 
         By Mark R. Hepner
 
                                                                                 
         November 20, 2003
                                                                                 
         First Presbyterian Church
                                                                                 
         Kewanee, IL