Robert Lawrence Callaway

Robert "Bob" L. Callaway passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 90. He was a vigorous and intelligent man who loved his two daughters and extended family very much. Bob expressed his love and care for his family through his words, generosity, and lifelong support of their endeavors.

Bob was a true 20th-century businessman. After graduating from Louisville Male High School in 1950, he studied business, graduating from the University of Texas, Austin. He enjoyed math, chemistry, and physics. Out of college, he went to work for the Federal Reserve in Texas as a bank examiner in the 1950s. He found his way back to Louisville, where he eventually headed up the St. Matthews branch of Citizens Fidelity Bank. Real estate development appealed to him. With his banker’s ability to assess risk and his entrepreneurial bent, he went on to develop single-family homes and multifamily apartments with his dad and brothers in Louisville in the 1970s, including Turtle Creek and Churchill Park apartments. Fort Knox intrigued him and he saw an opportunity for high-quality military tenants. After meeting with the Base Commander, he sought financing and built Christopher Square Apartments in Radcliff, KY, complete with a swimming pool. This became the first attractive off-base housing for military officers at Fort Knox. One of his favorite stories recounts a conversation with a New York investment banker about financing for the Fort Knox project. The banker asked him “What if Fort Knox closes?” Bob answered, “Young man if Fort Knox closes, you have much bigger problems than my loan.” Bob lived for a time in Phoenix, Arizona with his family and grew to love the Grand Canyon state. His appreciation of the beauty of our country extended from the green hills of Kentucky to the vast western landscapes he enjoyed driving through with his family. He enjoyed fishing, baseball, and University of Kentucky basketball and had a profoundly accurate memory for dates, scores, numbers, and details of games from decades ago.

Born on August 5, 1932, in Lawrence, Kansas during the depths of the Depression, Bob’s parents, Nellie & Lawrence H. Callaway, and siblings lived the American Dream. The family moved from scarcity to comfort with hard work, faith, and self-belief during the course of their lives. With success, Bob became financially generous, lending or giving money whenever someone was in need. He paid tuition, bills, and mortgages for many people. He was always ready to use his business acumen and project management expertise to help others start a business or solve financial problems. At one time, Bob co-owned a restaurant whose manager set fire to it to hide his financial theft. Bob decided not to prosecute the manager, a young father, over a few thousand dollars because he did not want to ruin the man's life and put a father in prison. While definitely imperfect, Robert L. Callaway leaves his family with many important lessons in judgment, responsibility, and striving to live out the Christian values his mother Nellie raised him to cherish. His “can do” attitude towards life leaves the greatest legacy to his daughters and their families.

Bob is survived by his two daughters, Laryn Callaway-Blok, and her husband Christiaan Blok, and granddaughter, Beatrice of Phoenix, Arizona; Christina C. Spears, her husband Ronald Spears and grandchildren Caroline and Michael Spears of Denver, Colorado; and by his brother John Callaway of Lecanto, Florida. He always will be loved and remembered by his nieces and nephews, Runie Duchscherer, Leslie Duchscherer, Jordan Duchscherer, Jennifer Callaway, Lisa Pate, Cynthia Erke, and Dianne Chan; Ronald Fisher, Wendy Fisher, Richard Brooks and Jonathan Brooks and their spouses and children.

Bob’s parents, Nellie McCoy Callaway & Lawrence H. Callaway, and his siblings Joyce Duchscherer and Gene Callaway precede him in death. Private memorials will take place at a future date.

A visitation for Robert will be held Saturday, August 5, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, 6601 South Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121, followed by a memorial service from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerchapelhill.com for the Callaway family.