Robert Stephen Carr

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Papa Carr, Robert Stephen ,84, of Bloomington, passed away at Westminster Village on March 10, 2026. The family invites friends and acquaintances to a visitation for Steve which will be from 10am-11am Monday, March 16, 2026 at Calvert Metzler Memorial Home, 1115 East Washington Street Bloomington, IL 61701. A private family burial will be held later at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church or to the Golden K Kiwanis Club both of Bloomington, IL.
Steve was born on October 15, 1941 in Springfield, IL; son of Robert William and Helen Anna-Margaret Carr. He married Sharon L. Drake in Herrin, IL on August 25, 1967. Steve was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.
Survivors also include his son Stephen Drake (Michelle) Carr and three wonderful and nearly perfect grandchildren: Avery, Caroline (Cece), and Stephen.
Following graduation from the University of Illinois College of Law, Steve joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent. He served in offices in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and Jackson, Mississippi. While in Baltimore, he received a commendation from Director J. Edgar Hoover for his work on a kidnapping case. His service in Mississippi during the civil rights era of the mid-to-late 1960s influenced much of the rest of his life. The work of Steve, his colleagues, and his direct supervisor was later portrayed in the major motion picture Mississippi Burning.
Steve and Sharon later returned to Illinois, where he served as an Assistant State’s Attorney and as a corporate attorney for the Illinois Farm Bureau and GROWMARK, Inc. He retired in 2005 as Vice President and General Counsel of GROWMARK, Inc.
Steve’s parents taught him the value of good manners, courtesy, and hard work. Sharon anchored his life and they spent 56 years together. She ignored his many flaws and loved him for all those years. Steve was also so proud of his son and never forgot the many years just he and his son went somewhere different to fish for a week. His son wanted to be in the boat when the sun came up and still in it when the sun went down- and Steve wasn’t a fisherman but looked at the time with his son as something very special. Steve was also so proud to be called Papa Carr by his grandkids and was so happy to see how good and talented each one had become.
Steve had a wonderful life and was a lucky man in so many ways. Sharon was his life and he expected he would be waiting for her. Now she will be waiting for him, the love of her life, to join her for a walk in the clouds.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray, you’ll never know dear how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.