Robert Barr
Age - 72
March 12, 2023
On January 10, 1951, Bob was born in Danville, IL to William Curtis Barr, Jr. and Lola May Barr (nee Boggess). Bill was a farmer, and he also worked at Kroeger for many years to supplement the family income. During WWII, he was a tank commander on several islands in the Pacific theater, including Okinawa. Lola May was a homemaker for most of her life. During WWII, she worked at Western Electric and Bell Laboratory in New York City, New York. They were married on November 2, 1945. The entire family regularly attended the Pleasant Mound Church of Christ. All four kids chose to be baptized. Bill became an elder of the church. Bob grew up on the farm, which was in Bethel, which is east of Ridge Farm, IL. When Bob was old enough, he helped his father with the farm chores, along with his two older brothers and one younger sister. He had a green thumb and enjoyed growing plants, especially Zinnias. Bob went to school at Harrison Elementary School (grades one thru eight), which was an old country school in Ridge Farm. During those years, he began to play the trumpet and was active with the band. Next, Bob attended Ridge Farm High School. He continued his interest in music by being active with the band and choir. He also developed an interest in the many varieties of rocks, gems, and minerals. After creating a display of different types of those items, Bob won first place in the Georgetown fair. Later, after he became a teacher, Bob brought his collection to school to show his students and teach them about the subject. After retirement, he was invited back to do the same educational presentation for the current group of students. For his higher education, Bob first chose Danville Junior College for two years. He was in the pep band during his second year there. To help with expenses, Bob worked at the Sears in Danville. Next, Bob attended Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL. He wanted to be a science teacher. While at ISU, Bob was the curator of The Funk Gem and Mineral Museum, which was on campus in the basement of Cook Hall, which was a science building. Bob really enjoyed working there during his time at ISU. Bob graduated from ISU with a degree in Science, including an emphasis on Earth Science. Then he was selected to be the new science teacher at Blackhawk Junior High School in Bensenville, IL. Before Bob started that job in the fall of 1974, he moved to an apartment in Bensenville. Also, he got a part-time job at Marshall Field's at Woodfield Shopping Mall in Schaumburg. Bob met his wife, Terry Barr (nee Wagner), in the teachers' lounge at Blackhawk. Terry was sometimes a substitute teacher there. Also, both of them taught summer school at Blackhawk. In subsequent summers, Bob and Terry drove together to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL to work on their advanced degrees. Sometimes they separately took a class at a nearby location while they worked fulltime jobs. Bob completed a master's degree in Administration. Bob married Terry on May 28, 1977. They bought a house in Elk Grove Village, IL in 1984, where they raised their son and daughter. Currently, it remains their home. For the rest of his life, Bob worked in School District 2. He was a science teacher, assistant principal, and then principal at Blackhawk, and a principal at Chippewa Elementary School. Bob was instrumental in changing Blackhawk from a junior high school to a middle school. That involved a great deal of time and effort on his part. Bob still found time to spend with his two children. He also developed a passion for computers. He began by ordering parts for his own computer, which he assembled by himself. Through the years, he acquired a large amount of knowledge about computers by learning on his own. Bob helped to bring computers into Blackhawk, and was in charge of them for a number of years. The love of computers never left him. Bob retired in June 2007. He missed being with all the students and teachers. He spent his time working on his computers, reading, and going to the Schaumburg Church of Christ. He enjoyed working on small tasks at church with other people. Bob also visited his parents before they passed away. A couple years before Bob retired, he started to exhibit some unusual symptoms. After he retired, we discussed it with our doctor, who sent us to a local neurologist. It took a couple more years and the beginning of medication to confirm that Bob had Parkinson's Disease. It didn't take long for it to severely impact his life. Bob did what he could do and never complained. As the disease progressed, he was forced to give up doing more and more activities in his life, but he made adjustments and continued forward. He worked on his computers almost until the end of his life. Bob passed away at home on March 7, 2023. Bob is survived by his wife, Terry, his son, James (Amanda), and his daughter, Karen. James lives in Oakland, CA, and Karen lives in Elk Grove Village, IL. He is also survived by his older brothers John Barr (Jennifer) of Tampa, FL and Tom Barr (Marilyn) of Marble Falls, TX, and his younger sister Kathy Webb (Steve) of Perrysville, IN. They each have grown children, and some have grandkids. At a later date, Bob's ashes will be buried in the Barr family plot in the Pleasant Mound Cemetery, which is located in Georgetown, IL.Show more
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