Robert “Bob” Bernard Willoh of Hillsboro, Missouri, born 12/2/46 passed away after a very short term battle with cancer on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at age 76 years young. Bob has been married to his best friend and loving wife Barbara “Barb” Joyce (nee Ryan) for nearly 55 wonderful years. Bob is survived by his wife, Barb, his sisters Joy Barber Cloud and Joan Barber Stoltman (Bob). He was preceded in death by his Mom and Dad, June and Ed Barber, his three brothers Dale and Steve Barber, and Don Willoh and his wife Pat, and his step-sister, Sandy Smith. Bob is the dear brother-in-law of Pat and Cindy Ryan, Mike and Barb Ryan, and Marti and Joe Roth.
Bob was always a favorite Uncle and so enjoyed watching nieces and nephews be born and grown to their own independent lives and jobs and families.
Bill, Kevin, Andy/Jenni, Jeff, Megan/ Tracey (Angel in Heaven), Jesse, Jodi/
Don Jr., Julie, Dirk/ Andrea, Laura, Vanessa (Angel in Heaven)/ Byron, Jessica, Sean/
Chris, Jason, Eric/ Also extended family Steve, Kathy, Karen, Greg, Michelle, Melissa,
Bob was also a Great Uncle to 36 although he preferred being called “Grand Uncle” and sometimes “Gruncle.” He was a cousin, a good neighbor, a business associate and loyal friend to so many..
Bob was an independent and successful manufacturer’s representative for over 38 years mainly with Valmont Industries in the steel tubing industry and also with Haven Manufacturing steel tube/pipe cutting machine industry. He was an astute business man, intelligent, extremely logical, charismatic, and quite the talker. He made long time treasured friends through those years that still stand today.
Bob was honored to be a military Vietnam Veteran serving in the Naval Air Force and stationed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise aircraft carrier side by side with his best buds Steve from the West Coast and Rich from the East Coast. He continued a long time friendship with both meeting them annually for reunions in fun locations such as Jackson Hole, Vancouver, San Francisco and more. Dublin was the next destination Bob would have so much enjoyed with the guys. Bob was also an extremely proud founding member and for several years the co-leader of the Vietnam Veterans Roundtable Group where he greatly appreciated treasured long time friendships with his military comrades .
Bob was an avid fly fisherman who enjoyed exciting adventures with fishing buddies in the Ozarks, Montana, Alaska, Bahamas, Mexico, the Florida Keys and Belize. He was a sometimes golfer who enjoyed trips to play rounds of golf with friends and played many local courses too. He had such fun outdoor times with some very good golfers followed by fun lunches and lots of laughs. He loved kayaking trips with another group of friends floating the Current, Huzzah, 11 Point and Buffalo Rivers several times a year. Bob was also a constant reader on a daily basis of current news, favorite magazines, novels and many books of varied subjects and interests off his Nook
Bob was always interested in dog training for over 50 years and became an AKC TD/TDX tracking judge enjoying many trials and celebrating many successful runs with many varied breeds of canines. Bob put tracking titles on all his Tervs including current Belgian Tervuren, Zayla. He then proudly supported Barb training and competing Zayla to Champion and MACH PACH5 status in agility and for a total of 84 earned AKC titles in many venues. Even with that high degree of success, his favorite title for Zayla was “companion couch potato.”
Bob enjoyed his home on Raintree Lake for over 33 years and was a meticulous landscaper and gardener caring and perfecting his mulch and flower beds and grassy areas through all the seasons. He had been teased plenty that “he knew every blade of grass by name.” Many admired his degree of perfection.
Tall and handsome Bob was a commanding figure when he wanted to be, but also had a good natured and fun-loving personality with a terrific sense of humor. He was an excellent story teller, quick-witted and thoroughly enjoyed giving and taking ribbing at every opportunity. Bob was a character — there is just no other way to say it — a character forever loved. It is a heart breaking loss that will be felt by his large family and all his friends. Bob received a Last Blessing. May His Soul Rest In Peace. Amen.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to a local chapter of The American Cancer Society or to Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial in Perryville, Missouri
SERVICES: Visitation at Kutis Affton Chapel (10151 Gravois Rd.) on Wednesday, February 22nd from 10:00 am until the funeral service begins at 1 pm. Private interment for immediate family.
My sincere condolences to Barb, family, loved ones and friends. God bless.
My deepest sympathies to Bob’s wife Barb and all his family. He was always ready with a smile and a story and was always fun to be around. He will be greatly missed.
Barb, I am also a founding member of the Viet Nam Veterans Roundtable and spent many years enjoying Bob’s company during golf, dinners, or when he and I would occasionally have lunch together. Bob was a great friend to me as well as the rest of our group. We shared having been US Navy Vets surrounded by noisy Marines 🙂 He always made sure I backed him up with those guys.
I advised him through his recent back operation as I had two 7 hour spinal fusions during the pandemic and tried my best to relieve him about his anxiety about having the surgery.
While I have only met with you at the Holiday party I wanted you to know that Bob meant the world to me and we are a diminished group by his absence. God bless him!!
Bob was still my “Best Friend” after all these years. We
went to High School together a long time ago. Even though I’ve been in Florida for almost 50 years, we still talked frequently on the phone.
I will miss him.
Edward Beauette
Bob was a pillar of our Viet Nam Veteran’s Round Table. I always enjoyed talking and trading tales with him. He will be missed.
My deepest sympathy Barb. I worked with , traveled with, and talked with Bob for over 27 years. He will be missed by all.
Dave forwarded to me the article – thank you.
Bob will be missed! He was a great man who had many interests and of course served us ground guys from the air! As President of the Vietnam Veterans Round table, he kept this band of brothers together…not an easy task! We often lunched together with Pat Heavey, Ernie, and me. He will be missed. We will continue to pray for Barb!
Bob and I both represented Valmont Industries and we both served in Vietnam. We shared a friendship that spanned more than thirty-five years. Someone once said; “for those who served in combat the taste of freedom has a flavor the protected will never know “. Bob and I talked many times about that flavor. We talked about the many positive things that our military service instilled in us. We bonded on many levels. It is my hope and prayer that Bob will be welcomed into heaven with those words that we Vietnam Vets greet each other with, “WELCOME HOME” Love Ya Bob!
I am very lucky to have known Bob for over 20 years – an outstanding human being. I enjoyed his company and will miss him dearly at our Roundtable functions.
Wow! What a character! And what an accomplished guy and great friend. An honor to have known him.
A wonderful friend and neighbor for 30 years. Barb and Bob and their beautiful dogs have been a joy to know and friends we could enjoy spending time with. Bob always had a story to share about his fishing trips, dog trials and Barbs many awards with their champion Belgian Tervurians. Bob loved his beautiful home and took a lot of pride in making it a showplace in the neighborhood. Bob’s personality was immense and so was his heart, happy to help family and friends any time. He will be missed by many including Warren and I. God Bless!
Barb, I am sending my love, hugs and prayers.
Bob had the biggest smile. He was so enjoyable. We all were so happy when you brought him into our lives.
You and Bob loved each other.
He will be missed, but he will always be with us in our fun memories.
Love, Dianna
Bob and I so enjoyed working in the tracking fields together. He was generous with his time volunteering at so many events, especially when there was a Belgian Tervuren specialty. He was quick with a story and quicker with a laugh. I raise a nice glass of red in your honor tonight… save travels, my friend.
With all my sincere condolences to Barb, he will be much missed.
Carol
Barb, we will miss Bob so very much. We’ve had so much fun over the years getting together with you guys at so many dog activities. I will always fondly remember chatting with Bob when I took Casey to Deb Frank’s agility class so she could meet my new puppy. Bob & I hit it off immediately and the next thing I know he was holding Casey in his arms and helping with puppy socialization. We all shared our love of Belgians. He was always the epitome of a gentleman and was such a caring and kind man. We will never forget Bob and will cherish the friendship we had for so many years. So glad the two of you came into our lives.
It was an honor to be able to call Bob a friend for 35 years. He brought sunshine into many of our lives. Heartfelt condolences to Barb and the family.
Condolences to Barb and Family. I met Bob 25 years ago through the Vietnam Veterans Roundtable. From that point on we became friends. He was a great friend, and it is an honor to have known him. He will be missed by all.
I can’t think of a single client who converted to a friend any sooner than Bob did with me 25 years ago. I will always treasure our conversations about our outdoor adventures, politics, Viet Nam, dogs, family and getting the most out of life. He surely knew how to do that. Barb, thank you for sharing him with all of us.
R.I.P. dear Bob.. you will be sorely missed by your family who loves you so. Until we meet again. Much love to Barb.
Barb, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved husband and friend. When living in Raintree for 20+ years, I always enjoyed my morning walks with my dog Bear and running into Bob and one of your dogs. I felt so blessed being able to call you both my friends….Bob will be missed by many. Sending you love and hugs.
Bob Willoh was a significant presence in my life for almost 40 years, ever since we got the Vietnam Veterans Roundtable (VVRT) up and running in the mid-1980s. Bob was instrumental through every step of our progression, from our early attempts to help other Vietnam veterans and their families to our current social organization.
Bob’s leadership, good nature, and unwavering optimism helped keep the Marines at bay and he was instrumental in gently removing a very recalcitrant head of the VVRT from power. He even helped restore order after one of our members made an inflammatory comment to a woman who questioned our proceedings at the Holiday Party a few years ago. We could always count on Bob’s steady judgement and good nature to keep us moving forward.
Bob was a very positive influence in my life. His sincerity and good intentions were evident the first time we met. This positivity kept us all together when we were questioning the reason for the VVRT’s existence. For me, one of the greatest benefits of the VVRT was that I would see Bob on a regular basis. He was a wonderful, thoughtful person. I think he had the perfect partner in Barb, who shares all his admirable character traits.
I am happy and honored to have been able to call Bob my friend. Suzy’s and my prayers are with Barb.
I never feel like I have the right words but of course, there are no words that truly express my sadness. Dearest Barb, we have been friends for around 45 years and I’ve always known Bob was the perfect guy for you. I tell young couples to have something in common and you and Bob had that in spades, especially with your fur babies. You know I can’t be there but know that my heart is with you. Love you like a sister.
My sympathy to Barb and her family and friends. Bob was a great friend and a great leader of the Roundtable as well. He will be missed. Rest in peace Brother.
I am another one of those Marines to whom Bob enjoyed poking his subtle but laughable jokes. My wife Cathy and I express our deep sorrow upon Bob’s passing. I thought that Barb and her family and close friends may enjoy a quick remembrance of our Navy friend, Bob.
While stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise Bob and the other officer in his plane landed on the deck and were tail hooked to an abrupt halt by the steel cables. Since it was near Christmas, one of the deck hand sailors approached the plane and said to Bob and the other officer, “why do you have all those branches attached to the underside of your plane? Is it because it is near Christmas and you wanted to bring us a Christmas tree?” Bob replied, “no, we simply were flying so low at treetop level on our mission that I guess we picked up some branches along the way!” This is a vignette about Bob, which I have related to several of my fellow Vietnam veteran friends.
All the members of our closely knit Vietnam Veterans Roundtable will truly miss Bob at the helm as president of our organization which has been in existence for over 30 years.
Semper Fidelis, Sailor!
Barb, I am so sorry for your loss of your best friend beloved husband. You guys were the post card for great marriage. I can’t begin to understand what you are going through right now, but I know you’ll get through this. Bob was a pretty amazing guy. He could talk (intelligently) about anything. I miss playing golf with him, we weren’t that good, but we always had a great time. I really enjoyed spending time with you guys. Rest in Peace Bob.
Dear Barb, my heart goes out to you during this most difficult time. I so enjoyed seeing Bob at our family gatherings. He was a great guy. He was a great story teller and had a wonderful sense of humor. I hope your sweet memories will give you some comfort during this time. Much Love, Carol Wolfslau aka Schmittgens
Barb and Family
I can’t begin to express my sympathy over the sudden loss of your lifetime partner and friend. Bob was the one guy I always looked forward to seeing at all of our Roundtable events and his all too soon departure leaves a huge hole in our brotherhood.
Barb, you and your family are in Cher’s and my prayers.
God bless you.
Lee