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Visitation:
9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Friday, August 14, 2020,
at Grace Church in Morton
Service:
11 a.m. on Friday, August 14, 2020, at the church
Funeral home:
Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in
Morton
Obituary
Robert “Bob” Eugene Billiter, 89, of
Morton, formerly of Atlanta, passed away on August
8, 2020, at Villas of Holly Brook in Morton.
He was born on April 9, 1931, in Atlanta, to Joseph
Sr. and Georgene (Conklin) Billiter.
Bob was a lifelong resident of Atlanta, except for
several years in his early teens when his family
moved to Peoria to be closer to his father’s work.
The family returned to Atlanta during Bob’s
sophomore year. He was a 1949 graduate of Atlanta
High School and attended Illinois State Normal
University prior to enlisting in the United States
Army in 1951. He married Wanda Reinhart on June 13,
1954, in Waynesville.
Surviving are his wife, Wanda, of Morton; one son,
Kirk (Rebecca) Billiter of Bloomington; one
daughter, Carolyn (Gary) Henricks of Morton; 5
grandchildren, Jenna (Lance) Montgomery of
Strasburg, Ill., Andrew (Rachel) Henricks of Burke,
Va., Derek (Kara) Henricks of Louisville, Ky., Dylan
(Sophie) Henricks of Morton, and Kelsey Henricks of
Grand Rapids, Mich.; 9 great-grandchildren, Gracyn,
Graham, and Sloane Montgomery, Leo Henricks, Oliver,
Audrey, Phoebe, Ruby Henricks, and Ivy Henricks.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two
brothers, Edward and Joseph Jr.
Bob served his country with the 5th RCT in Korea,
during the Korean Conflict from 1951-1953. Although
Bob suffered from Rheumatic fever and was later
hospitalized for 6 weeks while in basic training, he
continued to Korea with his unit to serve overseas.
He rotated back to the states the day after the
Armistice was signed in July 1953. After returning
home, he married the love of his life, in 1954. He
and Wanda were married for 66 years.
Upon returning from the service, Bob worked briefly
for the Atlanta Argus newspaper and then worked for
General Electric in Bloomington, before joining
Cutler Hammer Eaton Corporation in Lincoln, Ill. He
worked at for Cutler Hammer Eaton for 35 years,
retiring in 1993 as a Senior Buyer.
Bob was a life-long member of the Atlanta Methodist
Church, where he served for many years on the
Administrative Council and Trustees, as well as an
active member of the Atlanta Methodist Men. Bob
served on the Atlanta A Team, past President of the
Central Illinois Purchasing Association, past
President of the Atlanta Lions Club, a Trustee for
the Abraham Lincoln Hospital board from 1975-1981,
and was a 67 year member of the Atlanta American
Legion Post 341. He said his most satisfying service
to the Atlanta community was as treasurer on the
Atlanta Library board when the clock tower at the
corner of Race and Arch Streets was constructed on
the library grounds. |
Bob loved spending time with Wanda,
his family, and friends at many Lake of the Ozarks
resorts over the years, and then at their cabin on
the lake in Camdenton, Mo. This love affair with the
lake began in the 1940’s, when he first began
vacationing there with his parents. Many fond
memories were been made with his grandchildren and
great-grandchildren since he and Wanda purchased the
cabin in 1984.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday,
August 14, 2020, at Grace Church in Morton, with his
grandson Derek Henricks and Pastor Caleb McClarren
officiating. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:45
a.m., prior to the service at the church. Military
rites will be conducted following the service.
Cremation rites will be accorded following the
service, with burial of the cremated remains in
Atlanta Cemetery in Atlanta Ill., at a later date.
Memorials may be made to Atlanta United Methodist
Church or Atlanta Rescue Squad.
Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in
Morton is handling arrangements.
To view Bob’s online video tribute or to leave a
condolence for the family, visit
www.knappjohnson.com
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