Robert Lawry ’64 of Peoria, Illinois, died March 2, 2022. He was 79. Bob was called to ministry after a mission during his high school years which afforded him a month to work with Louisiana’s Houma population. He studied religion at Illinois Wesleyan and, during his freshman year, he worked part-time at Ebenezer Methodist Church near Funks Grove, Illinois. He became a student pastor there the following year, and maintained a connection with the church throughout his life. Bob went on to Garrett Theological Seminary and was ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church the same year he earned his degree from Garrett. He served churches in many Illinois communities: Woodland, Crescent City, Herscher, Buckingham, Cambridge, East Moline, Quincy, Effingham, Peoria and Washington. Bob appreciated the privilege of being a pastor, and he possessed gifts for preaching, teaching and administration. Anyone who spent any appreciable time with Bob learned of his lifelong friendship with Pro Football Hall of Famer Lou Groza, who gave Bob his first kicking lesson in a room at Chicago’s Palmer House hotel, and who provided the guidance Bob needed to become the placekicker for the IWU football team. Bob appreciated his many friendships and enjoyed spending many happy hours traveling the country visiting his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, three children, two stepsons, six granddaughters and two siblings.