- Date Of Birth: February 21, 1928
- Date Of Death: February 20, 2012
- State: Illinois
Robert Joseph Willmot, 83, of Peru, passed away, Monday evening, February 20, 2012 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
Bob Willmot was born in Cleveland, OH, on Feb. 21, 1928. His adoptive parents, Edward and Laura Willmot, in Massillon, OH, raised him from birth. He married Mary Guerra of Canton, OH, on Aug. 13, 1955. He was employed by Carus Corporation as Director of Corporate Communications from 1970 until his retirement in 1995. In retirement, as in prior years, he served as the Executive Director of the Carus Families Hegeler Institute. He assisted with the founding of and served as Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Fine Arts Trust until his death.
Before moving to the Illinois Valley in 1970, he had been Director of Information and Convention Manager for the National School Boards Association in Evanston, IL. Earlier he was a teacher and a school administrator for the public schools in Massillon, OH. He served during World War II as a photographer in the U.S. Navy. He was a B.S. and M.A. graduate of Kent State University, and he also took post-graduate work in school administration at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. He earned dual accreditation as a public relations professional from the Public Relations Society of America and the National School Public Relations Association.
His Illinois Valley-area civic and community involvement included president and board member of the IV Chamber of Commerce, IV United Way, IVAC Ambassadors, and the La Salle Rotary Club. Other board involvements were the IV YMCA, and the IV Youth Symphony. He was a member of the St. Patrick School Education Commission and a Trustee of the Peru Public Library. He also was an active member of Deer Park Country Club. Survivors include his wife Mary; three daughters, Lorraine of Lombard, IL, Mary Ellen of La Salle, IL, and Karen (Peter) Loftus of Scottsdale, AZ; and granddaughter Mallory Loftus. He was preceded in death by his adoptive parents Edward and Laura Willmot and their daughter, Catherine.
Other survivors include four siblings of his birth parents Melvin and Ann Hamilton: Arvine Hamilton and Melva Hofmann of Massillon; Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton of Newton, NC; Margaret Ann Newton of Tucson, AZ. Another brother, William Hamilton, preceded him in death.
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