Robert (Bob) Stanley Wiley, 78, of Crane, MO, died on June 3, 2021. Bob was born in his beloved town of Hurley, MO, to Maurice and Roxabel Wiley. He was one of three sons and had many wonderful childhood friends. Together they roamed the woods, fished and swam almost every hole in Spring Creek, ran a gas station, hauled hay and started the infamous Casheers band. He also loved shenanigans, like creating an indecipherable code to cheat at poker, which worked too well and eventually got him a knock in the head and a life lesson he didn’t soon forget.
Bob graduated as Valedictorian early from Hurley high school and attended college on scholarship at Missouri State University. He majored in political science and participated in ROTC, earning a commission as a second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
After college, Bob’s lifelong dream (fostered as a child by watching Perry Mason) to become a lawyer materialized as he was awarded a full scholarship to Washington University. There his studies were interrupted by the Vietnam War, when he voluntarily enrolled as part of the Military Police.
While in basic training at Fort Gordon, he met his wife, Jeanelle. They were married in 1966 before Bob’s tour in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he earned a Bronze Star for his exemplary work. Yet no one knew of this prestigious award until a few years ago; humility was as deeply ingrained in the soul of Bob as were the waters of the Spring Creek.
After his service in Vietnam, he finished his law degree with honors and moved with his wife in 1969 to Crane, MO, where he was to reside for the remainder of his life. He opened a law office there and was the Ozarkian Andy Griffith of attorneys; his gentle demeanor winning over others with wisdom and generosity — often delivered with a joke. He served as Prosecuting Attorney, Circuit Judge, and City Attorney. He retired in 2018 for health reasons, even though he would have preferred to work until his death — because Bob loved his work. He loved helping people and put in countless— often unpaid— hours to do it, and he was known far and wide for his honesty and integrity.
And Bob was a man of many talents. He wrote a book and curated a museum based on his hero, Dewey Short, a few examples of some of his many loves — history, politics, and writing. He loved baseball, especially the Cleveland Indians, and wrote poetry and music, silly and serious alike. And, he was a student of philosophy and the Bible, teaching others what he had learned through numerous Sunday school classes and lay sermons.
His interest in the Bible stemmed from a lifelong commitment to God. Bob and his father gave their lives to Christ on the same day: Bob was a child when they walked down the aisle in the Hurley Methodist Church together. This devotion to God and family was unchanging and unshakable, even though his life was anything but easy. And, he gave God the glory for everything; his last coherent words were: “I thank God for every day.” Micah 6:8 epitomizes Bob, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Bob is survived by his wife Jeanelle Wiley, his daughter Elizabeth Exley, four grandchildren (Mary, Sara and Matt Wiley and Esther Exley), and his two brothers Jerry (amd Sheila) and John (and Mary) Wiley. He is predeceased by his son John Dale Wiley.
The final disposition will be creamation under the care of Westrip Funeral Home. A visitation will be held on June 17 from 5-7 at Westrip Funeral Home, with a private service at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Reavisville Baptist Church, Jacob’s Ladder (end of life hospice care in Springfield where Bob passed peacefully because of their phenomenal care) or the Veteran’s and Military Coalition of the Ozarks.
Christmas Light
A poem/prayer by Robert S. Wiley based on Eccl 11:7, Psalms 119:105, Rev 21:23, 25
Our Father in Heaven:
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes. As we celebrate the birth of Thy Son, our Savior, we stand in awesome gratitude for Thy abundant mercy and grace.
May our lives respond daily to Thy Spirit and exemplify the truth spoken by the Psalmist: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path.
Guard and keep us, Lord, until we attain that City which has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, for the Glory of God does enlighten it, and the Lamb is the light… for there is no night there.
Amen.
Bob graduated as Valedictorian early from Hurley high school and attended college on scholarship at Missouri State University. He majored in political science and participated in ROTC, earning a commission as a second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
After college, Bob’s lifelong dream (fostered as a child by watching Perry Mason) to become a lawyer materialized as he was awarded a full scholarship to Washington University. There his studies were interrupted by the Vietnam War, when he voluntarily enrolled as part of the Military Police.
While in basic training at Fort Gordon, he met his wife, Jeanelle. They were married in 1966 before Bob’s tour in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he earned a Bronze Star for his exemplary work. Yet no one knew of this prestigious award until a few years ago; humility was as deeply ingrained in the soul of Bob as were the waters of the Spring Creek.
After his service in Vietnam, he finished his law degree with honors and moved with his wife in 1969 to Crane, MO, where he was to reside for the remainder of his life. He opened a law office there and was the Ozarkian Andy Griffith of attorneys; his gentle demeanor winning over others with wisdom and generosity — often delivered with a joke. He served as Prosecuting Attorney, Circuit Judge, and City Attorney. He retired in 2018 for health reasons, even though he would have preferred to work until his death — because Bob loved his work. He loved helping people and put in countless— often unpaid— hours to do it, and he was known far and wide for his honesty and integrity.
And Bob was a man of many talents. He wrote a book and curated a museum based on his hero, Dewey Short, a few examples of some of his many loves — history, politics, and writing. He loved baseball, especially the Cleveland Indians, and wrote poetry and music, silly and serious alike. And, he was a student of philosophy and the Bible, teaching others what he had learned through numerous Sunday school classes and lay sermons.
His interest in the Bible stemmed from a lifelong commitment to God. Bob and his father gave their lives to Christ on the same day: Bob was a child when they walked down the aisle in the Hurley Methodist Church together. This devotion to God and family was unchanging and unshakable, even though his life was anything but easy. And, he gave God the glory for everything; his last coherent words were: “I thank God for every day.” Micah 6:8 epitomizes Bob, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Bob is survived by his wife Jeanelle Wiley, his daughter Elizabeth Exley, four grandchildren (Mary, Sara and Matt Wiley and Esther Exley), and his two brothers Jerry (amd Sheila) and John (and Mary) Wiley. He is predeceased by his son John Dale Wiley.
The final disposition will be creamation under the care of Westrip Funeral Home. A visitation will be held on June 17 from 5-7 at Westrip Funeral Home, with a private service at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Reavisville Baptist Church, Jacob’s Ladder (end of life hospice care in Springfield where Bob passed peacefully because of their phenomenal care) or the Veteran’s and Military Coalition of the Ozarks.
Christmas Light
A poem/prayer by Robert S. Wiley based on Eccl 11:7, Psalms 119:105, Rev 21:23, 25
Our Father in Heaven:
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes. As we celebrate the birth of Thy Son, our Savior, we stand in awesome gratitude for Thy abundant mercy and grace.
May our lives respond daily to Thy Spirit and exemplify the truth spoken by the Psalmist: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path.
Guard and keep us, Lord, until we attain that City which has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, for the Glory of God does enlighten it, and the Lamb is the light… for there is no night there.
Amen.
