Bob was born
August 26, 1938 to Claude & Maggie (Fisher) Simmons in St. Clair County,
Tiffin, MO. When Bob was 16 days old,
his mother passed away, which resulted in Bob & his twin sister being
adopted by their mother’s siter and husband, Claude & Lilly (Fischer)
Schnoebelen.
He attended
elementary school at Herrell Grade School & attended high school at Butler
High School graduating in the class of 1956. Following graduation he attended Southwest
Baptist College in Bolivar, MO for 2 years.
Later, he was
employed at GM Leeds Plant in KC, MO.
Bob was
drafted into the US Army on October 6, 1961. He served 13 months in Germany
& his last duty assignment was 1st BG 18th Inf, Fort
Riley, KS. He was honorably discharged from the US Army & went back to
employment at GM Leeds Plant in KC, MO.
Bob was
united in marriage to his wife of 59 years, Judith Ann Lockard on May 1, 1964.
They had one daughter, Trudy & one son, William.
After his
employment with GM, he held several positions in heating/cooling, as well as
sheet metal work. Later he was employed at KCPL as an Insulator/Pipe Coverer.
He retired from KCPL in September 2000. After that retirement, he spent time as
a driver for Max Motors.
Bob was a
member of Bates 180 IOOF. He served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of
Missouri in 1987. He held several appointed offices in Grand Lodge prior to
becoming Grand Master. Bob held numerous offices in the Sovereign Grand Lodge
of the world. He served as Grand Patriarch of the Grand Encampment of Missouri
in 2003.
Bob was also
a lifetime member of the Bates County Elks Lodge #2653 & was a Past Exalted
Ruler. He was a member of the Adrian Rebekah Lodge #449. Bob also served two
terms on the City Council for Ward 4.
Bob attended
First Baptist Church of Butler in his younger days & later in life he
attended Happy Hill Church of God. He
loved to sing at Church.
Bob was
preceded in death by his wife, Judy, his parents, his three brothers (Claude
Jr. Simmons, William Simmons & Richard Simmons), his two sisters (Edith
Miller, Odessa Kelly) & twin sister, Roberta Schnoebelen.
Survivors
include his one daughter, Trudy Morgan of Hamilton, Texas, his one son, William
Schnoebelen of Kansas City, Kansas; five grandchildren, Kendra Norton, Buddy
Stewart, Bobby Baker (all in Texas), Anna (Schnoebelen) Diaz & Olivia
Schnoebelen (both in Independence, MO); eight great-grandchildren in Texas
& Missouri. He also had several nieces & nephews.
