Robert W. "Bob" Kief

Robert W. "Bob" Kief, 87, of Bloomington, died at 1:42 a.m. Saturday, October 19, 2013 at Heritage Health, Normal.His funeral will be on Friday, October 25, at 11:00 a.m., at First United Methodist Church, Normal, with Rev. Scott Carnes officiating. Burial will be at East Lawn Memorial Gardens in Bloomington, where military rites will be accorded by the Bloomington-Normal American Legion Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, October 24 at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Illinois State University Foundation to endow the Robert W. "Doc" Kief Athletic Training Scholarship Fund in the Department of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University or to the CurePSP organization (for research and awareness of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and other atypical Parkinsonian disorders).Checks can be made to Cure PSP, 30 E. Padonia Rd. Suite 201, Timonium, MD 21903 or donate on-line at www.psp.org/donaternrnHe was born May 25, 1926 in Chicago, the son of Ernest L. "Pete" and Myrtle Ashley Kief. He married Joyce L. Morton on June 7, 1987 in Bloomington.Surviving are his wife, Joyce Morton Kief of Bloomington; four children from a previous marriage to Marjorie Rhoades, Toni Kief of Marysville, WA, Kirk (Wendy) Kief of Longwood, FL, Penny(Tim) Dry and Kathy Bordner, both of Marysville, WA; four grandchildren, Heather Dry, Rob Davis and Eli Bordner, all of Marysville, WA and Brandon Kief of Longwood, FL; five great-grandchildren, Tucker Smith, Casey Smith, Celena Davis, JacobDavis and Tyler Davis, all of Marysville, WA; and one sister, Lysle Lewis of Sarasota, FL. Other family members include 4 nieces, 3 great nieces, 3 nephews and 1 great nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents.During WWII, after learning that his best friend the late Charles Lewis, had been captured by the Japanese in Corregidor, Bob enlisted to Go find my buddy. Bob served as a Gunners Mate on the USS Hancock, a Navy aircraft carrier in the South Pacific during WWII. He later served as a drill sergeant with the U.S. Army in Kansas during the Korean War. In his early career, he served as a Marquette Heights police officer and was later a firefighter for the Pekin Fire Department. Bob achieved the rank of assistant chief with the fire department before health concerns forced him into an early retirement. This event offered the opportunity to return to school in pursuit of another career.At the age of 39, he enrolled as freshman at Illinois State University where he completed an undergraduate and masters degree in Physical Education and Athletic Training. He was employed in a dual role as faculty member and athletic trainer for 8 years, before moving into a fulltime assistant athletic trainer position. Bob eventually retired in 1989 as the head athletic trainer for mens athletics where he worked with all sports, but with a primary focus on football and basketball. An innovative thinker, Bob enjoyed coming up with new concepts for preventative and post-injury care for his student athletes and was known by many of his colleagues and athletes as "Doc". Bob was voted into the Illinois Athletic Trainers Assoc. Hall of Fame and was one of the first 50 licensed athletic trainers in the state of Illinois. He was inducted into the Bloomington/Normal Officials Hall of Fame in 2000, and worked one summer at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.Bob enjoyed singing in the bass section of the Barbershop Chorus of Pekin, Illinois, where they won on two occasions, the distinction of International Champions. He also donated innumerable hours to the Pekin schools, first with fire safety demonstrations and then later as an athletic trainer for the Pekin High School sports teams. In addition, he served as the announcer for the Pekin Stars Hockey team, with son Kirk the goaltender. Bob was a member of the Bloomington-Normal Sister City Association for Russia/Canterbury and a member of First United Methodist Church, Normal.He was an avid reader, enjoyed music, travel, and outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. He was great at trivia games and working crossword puzzles. However, regardless of his accomplishments, accolades, and honors, the one gleaming memory we will all miss the most is his wonderful and infectious laughter and sense of humor. Bob was always the consummate storyteller punctuating unbelievable tales with boisterous laughter and a gleam in his eye.