Robert “Bob” Keith Cameron passed away March 8, 2024 after battling Parkinson’s Disease for many years, as well as suffering several strokes and metastatic melanoma more recently. While his energy and stamina slowly waned in recent years, his positive outlook, humble heart, and love of life never dimmed.
For all who knew and loved him, Bob was a storyteller whose tales charmed and delighted his listener’s. His story began on March 30, 1938 when he was born at home in Licking, MO to Robert “Lynn” Cameron and Juanita (Siddens) Cameron. Bob was 3rd in a long line of first-name Roberts, and was known as Bobby by locals and family for years. He was the oldest of three children. At age 8, Bob was stricken with polio and spent two months in the Children’s Hospital in St Louis. He was fortunate that he regained most muscle function, unlike his father who also had polio at age 8. Bob never let his compromised muscle strength slow him down. He played basketball and was on the high school team that went to State; he also played baseball, and as an adult became an avid golfer…but more on that later.
Bob graduated from Licking High School in 1956, before attending Draughn’s Business College in Springfield, MO. After receiving his degree in 1958, he briefly lived in St Louis, MO, but his heart was always in the Ozarks. He returned to the Licking area and shortly thereafter, he married Charlotte Ann Parker on Oct 31, 1959. Yes, that’s Halloween….because it would make a good story.
Bob and Charlotte raised four children in Cabool, MO where Bob was the Administrator of Kabul Nursing Home for 29 years. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of Kabul Nursing Home and later, an annex; the establishment of the independent senior apartments, Pineview Heights, and the construction of the assisted living facility, Landmark Villa, He expertly navigated the complexities of senior healthcare and funding, including the early years of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, and the provision of government subsidized senior housing for the Cabool community. Bob was also instrumental in bringing home health to the Cabool region. He served in several community capacities, including Cabool School Board, FBC Deacon, and Kiwanis Club. When Bob received the Cabool Man of the Year award in the late 1980s, he was almost more thrilled for his fellow Woman of the Year award recipient. That’s another part of his story….he was always the biggest supporter of his friends and family. His indomitable joy, his leg-slapping laugh and his self-deprecating humor endeared him to all.
Bob LOVED golf, the golf bug bit him as a young man and he never lost his enthusiasm for the game. He was a devoted member, or rather a fixture, at Wedgewood Country Club for years. He could add, not one, but two hole-in-ones to his golf achievements. Even in his senior years after some medical setbacks, he rebounded beyond expectations because his therapy goal was always to return to the golf course. Family members will forever treasure recent golf outings, the latest in May 2023, when Bob showed he still could drive a ball straighter and farther than many. It was as if his Parkisons disappeared for those moments, and it was magical.
Bob is survived by his wife, Charlotte of Mountain Grove, MO; daughter Sandra Cameron of Tyler, TX and her son Matthew Crews; daughter Jill and David Patterson of Scottsdale, AZ, and their children Zach & Emma; daughter Pamela and Ed Liley of Goodman, MO and children Brittany, Andrew, Kaylee, Kelsey, and Piper; and son Robert “Michael” and Billie of Mountain Grove, and their children Elizabeth, Meagan, & Abigail. Bob is also survived by three great-grandchildren, with a fourth on the way, and cousins Jim Cameron of Licking, MO, Suzan Barber of St Joseph, MO and Charlotte Princivalli of Wentzville, MO, as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, and in-laws. Bob is predeceased by several loved ones, including his parents, his favorite uncle Wayne Cameron, his brother Jerry Cameron, and his sister Beverly Cameron Steigman.
Whether you knew him as Bob, Bobby or Robert, you know that we have lost a special man. And while his final chapter on this earth is complete, his story will be fondly remembered, retold, and honored by his beloved family and by those who called him friend.
