Terry Douglas Robb

Terrel Douglas Robb passed away on December 27. After months of failing health, he died peacefully in his home with his beloved wife Tommye and daughters Carrie and Laura by his side.



A memorial gathering will take place at Meredith Funeral Home, 300 S. University Avenue, Carbondale IL on Sunday, January 5, 2:00-4:00 pm. All are welcome to join us in celebration of an amazing life.



Terry was born on January 3, 1939 in Cape Girardeau, MO to Clive and Opal (Daubs) Robb. He graduated from Cape Central High School and received a Bachelors of Engineering from Southeast Missouri State University. Terry served in the Army as a combat engineer. He always described this job as “rebuilding a bridge after one of his buddies blew it up.”



The majority of his career was spent as a plant engineer for Gilster Mary Lee. He retired from Gilster in 2001.



A loving grandfather of four, Terry never missed a birthday party, baseball or soccer game or piano recital. His eldest granddaughter dubbed him “PamPaw” when she was learning the word Grandpa.



Terry was a lover of classic cars, especially his ladybug red 1980 Triumph Spitfire. He was a lifelong fan of Cardinals baseball and Nascar Racing. He looked forward to nothing more than placing his weekly racing bets with his buddy (winner gets a case of beer). Even in his final weeks, he proudly watched the final Nascar Cup Series race alongside his oldest grandson.



He was a friend to many throughout his life and always looked forward to his weekly lunches with the Old Farts Club, a crew that terrorized the waitresses of Southern Illinois with their corny jokes.



An avid fisherman, Terry’s fondest memories were of the annual fly-fishing trips he took with his fishing buddies. Throughout his life, he was happiest out on his little boat or on the shore of a trout river. In his memory, the family has set up a tribute fund with Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper—an organization dedicated to ensuring clean rivers for future generations. In lieu of flowers, donations to www.missouriconfluencewaterkeeper.org/terryrobb are greatly appreciated.



Terry Robb will be remembered as a kind, funny, loyal friend, a devoted husband, and an extraordinary father and grandfather who always gave the best hugs. We hope you will get a laugh from a joke he told his family on Christmas Day:



Three buddies were sitting around talking about how amazing life is. The first guy says that the most amazing thing is watching the sunrise every morning—the beautiful colors, the brand new day. The second guy talks about the miracle of child birth—seeing his wife grow a baby and give birth to a whole new life. The third guy says “thermos.” The other two just stare at him. The old boy says “it keeps it hot, it keeps it cold. How do it know?”