William McRobbie

McROBBIE William Alexander Douglas McRobbie, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.) 85, died Saturday, January 28, 2006 at John Knox Village, Lee’s Summit, MO. Memorial services will be held, 12:00 noon, Saturday, February 4, 2006, at the John Knox Village Chapel, 400 NW Murray Road, Lee’s Summit, MO 64081, a reception will follow in the Windsor Room. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The John Knox Village Foundation. “Mac” was born September 19, 1920, in Royal Oak, MI, the oldest son of Marget and Albert McRobbie. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he volunteered for pilot training with the U.S. Army Air Corps. While training in San Antonio he met Kansas City native Mildred Elaine Walters; they married in 1943 upon his graduation from flight school. Doug served with honor during World War II, ferrying airplanes and towing targets to train anti-air gunners, and later serving with the Air Force Command in Paris and then Rome, soon after D-Day. After the war, he remained in the Air Force, working as a supply officer in the Strategic Air Command and the Air Defense Command. Mac served on assignments in Washington, Colorado, California, England, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Saudi Arabia, Maine, Missouri, Italy, and Thailand. In 1974, after 32 years of service, he retired with an honorable discharge and moved with Mildred to Leawood, KS. Mildred died in an accident in 1980. Later, Mac became a member of the Bridge Studio and an avid player of duplicate bridge. He and his dear friend Kitty Sircus played bridge for many years, and he eventually achieved the status of a Life Master. In August 2001, he moved to John Knox Village. A lover of classical music, fine food, and the arts, Mac had a charming presence that lifted the spirits of those around him. Mac is survived by children: Elaine McRobbie of Overland Park, KS, Katherine Gallagher and husband Peter of Los Gatos, CA, Elizabeth Janeczek and husband Joseph of Bowie, Maryland, Michael McRobbie and wife Rebecca of Lee’s Summit, and John McRobbie and wife Cheryl of Tomball, TX, along with twelve grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and a sister, Isobel Thiel. While at John Knox his gracious and charming ways won him many friends. He is loved and missed by all who knew him. Mac’s family members are grateful to the kind, compassionate, and professional staff at John Knox, especially at the Village Care Center and the John Knox Hospice Service, for helping him navigate the treacherous waters of old age and Alzheimer’s disease. You may sign the online guest book at www.heartlandcremation.com