The funeral service for O.B. will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, 2019 at Hill and Son Funeral Home in Appleton City, Missouri with Elder Rhoda Hoover and Evangelist Dave Quick officiating.
Visitation will preceded the service from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Interment will be in the Appleton City Cemetery, Appleton City, Missouri.
The family suggests any memorial donations be made to Heartland Hospice. They were so kind to our family and took such great care of O.B.
Ollie Burnett (O.B.) Roberts, age 82, was born on May 26, 1937, in Appleton City, Missouri to Oscar Burnett and Willa Morgan (Ward) Roberts. O.B. departed this life at his home surrounded by his family on May 29, 2019.
Faith, family, and farming were O.B.’s passions in life. He was a lifelong member of the Community of Christ Church where he served as a deacon since November 1978. O.B. met Regina Gurley on a blind date set up by their friends Phyllis Bracher and Dane Schellman. It proved to be a great match, and the pair was married on July 1, 1960. To this union two sons were born, Craig and Kevin. O.B. started farming with his father and took over the family farm after his father’s passing. O.B. was proud that his farm has been recognized as a Missouri Centennial Farm and has been owned by the Roberts family since 1870. Through his years in farming, he raised cattle, hogs, and row crops. There were bountiful years and there were very trying years on the farm, but his passion for farming prevailed through the years. O.B.’s pets played an important role in his life. He always had a dog by his side while doing chores around the farm with his current dog, Toby, being his favorite. Everywhere O.B. went, Toby was not far behind. Toby was also with O.B. every day during therapy helping to lift each other’s spirits.
O.B. loved to travel and he and Regina were fortunate enough to take many amazing trips. Among his favorites were an Alaskan cruise, the Holy Land and Jordan, Disney Land with his great-granddaughter and his last trip to Greece. Unfortunately, while vacationing in Greece in October 2018, O.B suffered a massive stroke. After several weeks in a Greek hospital, O.B. was able to return to the States for additional treatment and subsequent rehabilitation. He worked very hard at his therapy and was determined to get better, shocking all the therapists at how strong he was! O.B. loved spending time outdoors and on the day of his stroke, he climbed a mountain, in the rain, on the Greek island of Rhodes. O.B. was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Wright Piepmeier.
O.B. is survived by his wife of 58 years, Regina, of Appleton City; son, Craig, and wife Tina of Appleton City; son, Kevin and wife Alison of Lee’s Summit; sister, Maxine Roberts Piepmeier of John Knox Village in Lee’s Summit; granddaughter, Ashlyn and husband Mitchell Turner of Rockville; grandson, Brett Roberts of Appleton City; and great-granddaughter, Brealea Ann Turner of Rockville.
We want to say a special thanks to Penny Foster Knight and Tim Miller for helping to take such great care of O.B. Their compassion and kindness were much appreciated.
