Bob "Bob" LaBonte

Robert James LaBonte, Sr., age 85 of Hollister, Missouri formerly of Leawood, Kansas died on March 20, 2014 at his home. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 am, Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at Cure of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood, KS. Visitation will be held at the church starting at 9:00 am. Burial will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery; 7601 Blue Ridge Blvd, Kansas City, MO.

Bob was born on August 18, 1928 in South Bend, Indiana, the son of Orpha and Laura Johnson LaBonte. The family moved to Kansas City in 1932. Bob attended Redemptorist High School where he met many of his lifelong friends. He served in the United States Naval Reserves on destroyers during the Korean War. Bob married Dorothy Crow in September 1948. They moved to Leawood in 1964 where they raised their three children Bob, Chris, and Sue. Bob married Arlene Anderson in 1984 and moved to the Table Rock Lake area. Bob worked as a salesman for AH Rice Company and retired from Threads USA.

Bob loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them at the lake, in Eau Claire Wisconsin, the family camp on Lake Superior or on various family vacations. He especially loved the annual fishing trips to Canada with his sons and grandsons. He was an avid golfer and worked as a Marshall and Starter and various Branson area golf courses after he retired. Bob enjoyed his weekly coffee clutch with his buddies. He loved taking the the pontoon boat out on the lake with family or by himself to enjoy the beauty and the serenity of the water. He loved all things football and cheered his teams Notre Dame, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers every week.

Bob may have been small in stature but he had a bigger than life personality. He never knew a stranger and would light up a room as soon as he entered it. He had a wonderful sense of humor and infectious laugh. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Arlene LaBonte of Hollister, MO., three children: Robert J. LaBonte, Jr. and wife Betty of Champaign, IL, Chris P. LaBonte and wife Bev of Gardner, KS., Susan M. LaBonte of Leawood, KS., Arlene’s children Becky Chamberlain, Sue Anderson, Cathy and John Knowlton, and Luke and Becky Anderson and their families. Four grandchildren: Robert James LaBonte III, Corinne LaBonte, Sean LaBonte, Kelly LaBonte.

He was preceded in death by Dorothy LaBonte, his parents, four siblings: June Shea, Ann Hennessey, Jack LaBonte and Joyce LaBonte, Arlene’s daughter Shelley Goss and son Matthew Anderson.

The family suggests contributions to the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements under the direction of McGilley & Hoge, Overland Park, KS.