Bob Waldmire’s gathering

Cathie Stevanovich, president of the Route 66 Association of Illinois, attended the wake Sunday for Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire at the Wilson Park Funeral Home in Rochester, Ill.

She had this to report, via e-mail:

So many people had come to Bob’s Last Art Show that went home content with having had the chance for a last conversation with Bob, a blessing, a handshake, a hug, that the crowd at the funeral home was only about 125 people.  There were pictures of Bob from young til old, his journal that he wrote in by a great picture of him at a table at the front of the room. His last entry was the day before he died.

Bob died in his sleep, and his family assured everyone his passing was peaceful and that he even had a smile on his face.

People sat and talked from noon til about 2:30 p.m.  Then with Bob’s own blessing (written blessing), Jeff Waldmire gave a short talk about Bob and used the words that Bob stood for:  trust, commitment, faith, etc.  Then people were invited up to share their stories.  It was very moving, funny stories about Bob — he and one of his friends driving around in Bob’s Mustang when they were in high school, breaking car windows with a brick after a few “cokes” and waking up the next morning totally ashamed at what they’d done.  One of the brothers told about Bob losing one of his snakes in the house when he was a kid, and his mother telling him he had one more chance to find it in the house before the family had to move out; another brother talked about Bob probably becoming a vegetarian because his brothers always had him eating bugs — box elder bugs, etc. — when they were kids.

A friend sang a song he wrote for Bob a capella.

Bob was a giver.  Bob shared.  Bob had very definite opinions, but always strove to see the other side as well. There was an “after the after” at the Cozy Dog where more stories were told, more photos, more reflection.

Outside the funeral home was Bob’s van.  Driven to the funeral home by one of the Waldmire boys, on the way down a woman getting her mail saw the van and started waving and while she was waving realized “hey – the owner of that is dead” and stopped waving and just looked at the van pass by.  I’m sure when I develop the photos from today that Bob will be sitting in the van behind the steering wheel, squinty-eyed and laughing.

Here’s Cathie’s photo of Bob’s VW minibus, parked in front of the funeral home:

Here’s the funeral home’s obituary on Waldmire. I liked the fact it listed him as a “resident of Route 66.”