He was born on 13 November 1932 in London, England. His parents, Robert C. Jr. and Mary Catherine, were from Springfield, Illinois. The family returned to the United States in August of 1939.

He attended elementary school at Highgate School for Boys (Highgate, UK), then Arnold School and Butler Grade School in Springfield, IL. He spent one year at Springfield High School before attending The Choate School in Wallingford, CT. Upon graduation, he spent a post-graduate year at The Harrow School outside London, England before attending Yale University in New Haven, CT where he earned degrees in Mathematics, Electrical Engineering and Industrial Administration. In 1956 he joined the General Electric Co and their Manufacturing Training Program before returning to Springfield where he joined the Sangamo Electric Co., a firm founded by his grandfather. He left Sangamo in 1967 to join a start-up company, DICKEYjohn Corporation, as Chief Executive Officer. The company designed, built, marketed, and sold electronic agricultural instrumentation to farmers and farm equipment partners. DICKEY-john was a one-person company when he started but by the time of his retirement the Company had over 1,000 employees and was one of the largest employers in the state of Illinois. Bob was honored to be elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering in 1992 and served as Chairman of a number of businessrelated organizations including the Farm and Industrial Equipment Institute, the American Society of Agriculture Engineers, and the Future Farmers of America. He also served on Advisory Boards for the Engineering College, the Agricultural College and the Finance College at the University of Illinois.

He also served on the Board of Directors of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL. for 28 years including as Chairman of the Board. Two of his most enjoyable pursuits were his “learning experiences” he organized for his grandchildren, and his annual “college tour” where he visited each of his collegiate grandchildren. He would send them provocative questions before his visits and was fascinated to see how these young people thought about and reasoned through challenging topics. “Gramps” was incredibly proud of all of them.

These, plus the extensive time that he spent at his family home on Glen Lake, MI, made his life full of exceptional experiences. Finally, his life could not have been as complete without the wonderful women whom he loved: Marianne MacHarg (mother of their children), Jeanne Cross, Phyliss Catron, Joan Gillespie Peck and Shelley Walter).

Bob is survived by his loving partner, Shelley Walter, his four fabulous children: Robert C. lV (Penny Stradal/Linda Hoch), Edward Oliver II (Cameron McClellan), Jonathon MacHarg Sr (Laura Rose), and Lillie Margaret Hawn (John M. Hawn); thirteen fantastic grandchildren; 11 greatgrandchildren; his sister, Mary L. Collins (Roger Collins); plus numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Jeanne Lanphier Lawrence in 1992, and Nancy Lanphier Chapin in 2020.

Family will host a Celebration of Life in Springfield on Saturday, February 17th, 2024, at Illini Country Club from 11:00am – 1:00pm.

There will be an additional Celebration of Life later this summer at Glen Lake.

Memorials may be sent to Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, Illinois, or to one of the fine organizations mentioned above.

The family is being served by Boardman-Smith Funeral Home, 800 South Grand Avenue West, Springfield, IL.

Please visit boardmansmith.com to offer your condolences.