Robert Fair

Robert T. Fair, 92, a longtime resident of Westwood Oaks, died on Saturday (Nov. 28, 2009) at the Miller Center, after struggling with cancer for over a year. He was born near Rochelle on March 22, 1917, to George Malone Fair and Emma Ervin Fair, tenant dairy farmers from east Tennessee. Bob was the oldest of four brothers born within five years. In his youth Bob did farm work, hunted, fished and trapped. He was a strong student and loved math and history. He was on the basketball team at Kingston High School, where he graduated in 1934. Bob entered the Civilian Conservation Corps, working on bridges and roads in Wisconsin. In 1940 he and Ruth Koeneke became engaged. Ruth lived on a neighboring farm, and they got to know one another well when Bob worked for her parents. His future father-in-law claimed that Bob was the best worker he had ever hired. In 1941, on the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army. He and Ruth were married on May 22, 1942 in Oklahoma City. Bob never saw combat because he stayed behind his unit in Oklahoma to have surgery on a knee he had injured playing football. He later served in Guam, and after re-enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, in Occupied Japan, Korea and Okinawa. In 1970 Bob retired as Chief Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force after 27 years. He worked in electronic countermeasures, but as his work was classified, he never disclosed much about it. In the U.S. Air Force Bob earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in math from the University of Omaha. His favorite field of mathematics was topology. In 1974 he received a master's degree in education from the University of New Hampshire. His graduation paper was on the educational philosophy of John Dewey. In 1971, at the age of 54, Bob fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a math professor. He taught at Kankakee Community College until 1988 and, although he was a quiet man in social situations, Bob was a very popular teacher. His classes frequently erupted in laughter. He was a devoted fan of Kankakee Cavalier basketball. Also in 1971 Bob and Ruth bought their first house in Bourbonnais, where they made many good friends. In 1991 they moved to Westwood Oaks Retirement Community, then newly opened, and made more enduring friendships. When Ruth suffered a massive stroke in 1996, Bob constantly attended to her until her death in 2003. They genuinely enjoyed these years during which Bob helped Ruth, a longtime elementary and special education teacher, to relearn reading, writing, math and geography. Bob enjoyed bowling, playing bridge, gardening, doing crossword puzzles, and reading newspapers and Western novels, especially those of Zane Grey. He loved animals of all kinds and collected porcelain birds. He was an avid fan of the Bulls, the Bears, the White Sox and the Cubs. Fortunately, he enjoyed watching sports whether his favorite teams won or lost. He was also a great fan of Blues Cafe. Bob's brother, Ralph, preceded him in death by many years, but his brother George of Loves Park, died only 13 days before Bob. His youngest brother, Quentin, lives in Pennsylvania. Bob's daughter Kathy Spence and her husband, Dennis, live in Parish, Fla. Their daughter, Tracy, and her husband live in Maricopa, Ariz. Bob's daughter, Janet Fair-Christianson, and her husband, Tom, live in Chicago. Their son, Eric, works in Lincoln, Neb. and their son, Mark, attends college in Richmond, Ind. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at the Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home, west Kankakee, where services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday. Dr. Jim Paul will officiate. Burial will be in Kankakee Memorial Gardens, Aroma Township. Instead of flowers, please send memorial donations in Bob's name to The American Wildlife Federation.

Robert Fair

March 22, 1917 - November 28, 2009