His name was Bob Nill...but he was known as Mr. Bob.
Bob was living on social security and a veterans pension, but that didn’t leave much money at the end of every month…
...so at the age of 83, to supplement his income, and mostly to belay his sadness and loneliness after the passing of his wife of fifty-five years, he applied for the job of crossing guard with the Unified Government of Wyandotte.
He spent most of his life in Kansas, served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard and worked for a local bank for decades before retiring.
He loved spending his time with the children, because they had little guile and most hadn’t been weighed down with the trivialities of life.
In his five years as guard, he worked all of it for Christ The King Catholic Elementary School in Kansas City, close to his home.
The school is on a very busy road.
He knew many of the children from around the neighborhood, and the kids were fond of him.
He brought gifts for many of them on their birthdays, and some of the kids reciprocated on his.
Yesterday, Tuesday the 18th, a little after 8:00 am, a large black sedan came rushing down the road at a high rate of speed, and had run a red light.
Bob was in the middle of Leavenworth Road with his red ‘Stop’ sign, and had just assisted a group of children across.
Two boys, brothers ages 7 and 11, were a few feet into the road, attempting to cross….with the sedan barreling down.
Bob yelled for them to stop and go back.
They hesitated, and he pushed the older brother and yelled again to stop and get back.
They did.
This all happened in seconds.
Bob was hit full-on.
The fire department was there within minutes, but Bob died on the way to the hospital.
When Matt, one of his three sons, was notified, the first thing he said was, “I’m not surprised. He loves the kids.”
Said principal Cathy Fithian, "He brought them happiness with his smile. He waved at everyone, always waving and always visiting with the kids and parents.
He saved two of our students today. I'm confident they would not be here if he had not stepped in and we are thankful, we feel very blessed to have had him in our lives for five years. We just pray for his family at this time."
Today parents and children are having a special mass in memory of his act and his life.
A witness who chose to remain anonymous told a reporter, “He could have gotten out of the way, but he cared more about the kids then himself.”
Mayor David Alvey offered his condolences on Facebook.
“On behalf of the residents of Kansas City, Kansas, I offer our deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. Nill. To Mr. Nill, our heartfelt gratitude for your selfless act in protection of our children.”
The police haven’t released a lot of details about the woman that was driving other than she was hospitalized and is cooperating….but that’s not the point of the diary.
When i first read about this this morning in my Colorado home, i was moved…..
...and i wanted this community to know about the life and sacrifice of Mr. Bob S Nill.
Mr. Bob.
A good man.
In my research, i discovered that he and his wife were fond of Johnny Mathis.
So….