Robert William Lembcke

Carbondale - Robert William "Bob" Lembcke, 86, passed away on October 18, 2012 at his home. Bob was born September 24, 1926 in Dolton, to Albert Richard and Leona (Albrecht) Lembcke. He married Lois May Cheeseman on August 13, 1955 and she survives. Other survivors include a daughter, Laura Lee Lembcke Strausberger and her husband Donald James Strausberger of Roswell, Georgia; a granddaughter, Kelly Nicole Strausberger; a grandson, Andrew Nolan Strausberger; and one brother William Lembcke of Arizona; several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, James Charles and Raymond A. Lembcke, and one sister Marion Lembcke Wisinski. Bob went to work on the Illinois Central Railroad as a Fireman and worked his way up to a Traveling Engineer in Carbondale. He worked there for 42 years until his retirement. He loved his work on the railroad and using large equipment. He was drafted into the Army. He completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and served in WWII as a Paratrooper stationed in Japan and then the Philippines. Bob loved airplanes and spent his spare time building and flying them. He was very active in the (EAA) Experimental Aircraft Association, and made the pilgrimage to Osh Kosh, Wisconsin for the EAA National Convention many times with his wife Lois. He also served with the local EAA Chapter in Carbondale. He was a member of Station Carbondale which started the Museum located in the Old Carbondale Depot. Bob was responsible for the search and procurement of both the engine and caboose which are housed on the tracks nearby the museum. He also donated many railroad items to the museum. He enjoyed speaking to schoolchildren as they took field trips to tour the museum, engine and caboose. Bob was a long time active member of the Unitarian Fellowship of Carbondale and helped to oversee the building of the new church located at 105 N Parrish Lane. He served as Treasurer for many years, was on the Building committee and numerous other committees for the church. When something needed to be fixed they called him first! After retiring, he became a member of the Learning and Retirement group and enjoyed their variety of speaker programs. Bob enjoyed woodworking, yard work, gardening and canning. Also a lover of nature, he enjoyed wildlife, sunsets, watching and feeding birds. He worked on cars, airplanes and anything mechanical. He could fix anything and enjoyed fixing things. Bob never met a stranger. Bob's friendliness, storytelling and sense of humor were evident to all who met him. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Fellowship of Carbondale. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Unitarian Fellowship of Carbondale or TIP Hospice of Southern Illinois.



Service:



1:30 p.m. Sunday, November 4, 2012



Unitarian Fellowship Carbondale, IL