Robert “Bob” Van Buren

Robert (Bob) Van Buren, 75, died in the early morning hours of Sunday, September 14, 2014 in the care of his family.

Bob was born to Zoy Marie (Tischenko) and Verl Bert Van Buren on July 6^th, 1939 in Wichita, Kansas, where he grew up. 

An accomplished outdoorsman, Bob loved to fish, and he enjoyed nature, especially at his home near Severy, Kansas. After retiring from Buckley Industries, where he worked as a production supervisor, Bob created a place of serenity and peace on his twenty acres of forested land, and he especially enjoyed pestering the many bass, bluegill, and catfish who lived in the picturesque pond he built for them near his house. 

Bob loved baseball, and was a fan of the Wichita Indians, whose home field was Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in the early 1950s. He was a talented artist, and he enjoyed sketching the team logo.  Bob left behind many impressive sketches and drawings.  A lifelong fan of the Kansas City Royals, Bob followed the team even into his last days.

Another of Bob’s talents was cooking: he was a fantastic cook, and he enjoyed putting his own spin on favorite recipes. Bob’s record collection was expansive and eclectic; he enjoyed music with a Cuban flair, especially the music of Harry Belafonte. 

Bob served his country in the United States Army in the early 1960s, where he was a Senior Medical Aid and Nurse Practitioner at Fort Benning. Ga, and then in Viet Nam. He was a dedicated Catholic, serving in his home parish at Saint Mary’s Cathedral of Immaculate Conception as a Special Eucharistic Minister in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bob is survived by sister Pat Milburn (husband Larry) of Wichita; daughters Robin Metzler (husband Scott) of Newton, KS and Shannon Adams (husband Kyle) of Lakewood Ranch FL; niece Kimberly Tessier and nephews Christopher Way and Daniel Milburn; grandchildren Timothy Jeffries, Zach Metzler, Emily Kepley (husband Andrew); Austin, Tanner, Ashton, & Tawney Adams, and two great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Betty of California, and by his faithful and precious dog Kita.

A memorial service is scheduled Friday, September 26^th at 3 pm at the Kansas Veteran’s Cemetery, 1028 N College St, Winfield, KS, 67156. 

Memorial suggestion St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Cathedral Fund.