Robert (Bob) L Burkey, age 84, son of Eddie and Mary (Jones) Burkey was born November 10, 1936 in Tindall, MO. He passed away January 31, 2021 at University Hospital in Columbia.
At a young age, Bob earned money working a paper route on foot while he saved to buy a Schwinn bicycle. He then traded his precious belongings to include a Victrola record player and a fishing rod for a Ford Model A which he hid from his dad until he was old enough to drive. He loved to fish and enjoyed catching catfish with a wooden crate trap to provide food for the family. Bob served in the Marine Corps after high school graduation from Chillicothe, MO. He managed a Dickies plant in York, NE until its closing. He was working for H.D. Lee Company as a sewing machine mechanic in Stevenson, AL when he was flown to Houston, MO to repair machinery at the Lee Company factory, where he met his sweetheart, Clarice, a sewing instructor. He wasted no time in transferring to Houston in 1982 where he, a perfect gentleman, courted her until their marriage on May 20, 1983. They lived in Lebanon, MO and Luka, KS before retiring in Houston, MO. Bob and Clarice enjoyed the simple life of traveling to auctions, seeking bargains for resale in their flea market booths and adding to his collection of antique tools. Bob was a quiet, humble man with a huge smile and quick wit, who sought solutions rather than problems. He began every day by opening the window blinds and praising God for “another beautiful day.”
Bob is preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Charles, and Eddie Jr, two sisters, Jean Souders and Betty Pippit; two sisters-in-law, Joanne Burkey and Joyce Bennett; and a stepson, Monty Beltz. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Clarice (Daugherty) Burkey of the home; his first wife, Karen; one daughter, Susan Renee’ (Austin) Hill of La Porte, IN; two stepsons, Bruce (Sally) Beltz and Daniel (Brenda) Beltz; two grandsons, Nathan Chez (Heather) Upton and Victor Mediano; one brother, Lyle Burkey, and three sisters-in-law, Jane Burkey, Bonnie Burkey, and Betty (Martin) McDowell.
The family will hold a Celebration of his Life at a later date
Memorials: Houston United Methodist Church or American Legion
