Obituary

Robert 'Bob' Wilkins passed away peacefully from natural causes in his home in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, November 14, 2021.

Born on December 4,1942 and raised in southern Illinois, Bob moved to Chicago after graduating high school to become a carpenter. While working for a small residential construction business, Bob met his future wife, Patricia, who owned one of the homes he was working on. They married on September 12, 1956. Soon after, Bob started working with the Mid-America Carpenter Regional Council training new carpenters. It was during his time with the MACRC that Bob realized his love of teaching and decided to become a shop teacher.

There was nothing that Bob enjoyed more than his work as a shop teacher at Lane Tech and, later, Carnegie High School where he taught for over 30 years. He loved the smell of freshly cut wood, but more than that he loved teaching children, teens, and adults how to mold a piece of wood and create what they saw in their minds. There was little that that could pull Bob away from his students. Even after his retirement, you could often find Bob volunteering to lead community workshops and lending a hand to any new woodworker who asked.

In 1997, Bob received a lifetime achievement award from the Illinois Teachers Association, which was one of the proudest moments of his life.

His most profound passion outside of being a shop teacher was making people laugh. He was a true jokester and amateur comedian, bringing joy and uncontrollable laughter wherever he went.

To his lifelong friends he was known as Bob, to his siblings he was 'The Bobster Machine', to his grandkids Grandpa Bubs. Loving husband to Patricia Wilkins, devoted father of Linda Lee-Wilkins and Scott Wilkins, and beloved grandpa of Millie, Matthew, and Jamie. He was a loving and caring father, grandfather, teacher, and friend. He will be incredibly missed by all.

**This obituary was created of a fictitious person for illustrative purposes.**