Robert "Bob" Kinniburgh

Robert MacGregor Kinniburgh - born on March 17, 1942 to William and Clara Kinniburgh in Hinsdale, Illinois - passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of October 30, 2018 after an eight year battle against Alzheimer's. He is survived by his sister, Virginia, his sons James, Christopher, and David, his wife, Molly, and four grandchildren, Jax, Keegan, Emily and Allie. Robert, or "Bob" to his friends and family, was an avid teacher, zoologist, collector, tinkerer, armchair bard and storyteller extraordinaire. As he would tell it, many aspects of his childhood in Hinsdale, Illinois, and later, his adolescence in El Paso, Texas would play out as though he were an unwritten character from the Hardy Boys book series - a favorite of Bob's that he read to his sons. He was a fierce advocate of the study of biology and animal behavior and spent his childhood exploring the urban jungle of Chicago and the deserts of western Texas collecting, identifying, and often times healing all sorts of small mammals, birds, and reptiles. His true love of the desert blossomed during his high school years at Stephen F. Austin High School when he and his lifelong best friend, Joseph Cancellare, would disappear into the desert mountain ranges surrounding El Paso for days at a time, chasing snakes and lizards and observing the desert's unique biome. After graduation from high school in 1960 Bob began his journey in higher education at Texas Western College where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1964. While attending Texas Western he met Margaret Pasanen who eventually became his first wife, lifelong friend, and mother to his eldest son, James. Upon graduation, Bob was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Bob served several years as an Army officer, during which time he was stationed in Germany during the late 1960s training young medical personnel on their way to Vietnam. Bob returned to the United states in 1969 to return to school at the University of Texas at El Paso where he would go on to receive his Master's Degree in Zoology. James was born in 1970 and as a new father, Bob was deeply enamoured with his son. Whether it be family road trips or father-son camping adventures, Bob emphatically sought to pass his love of nature and zoology on to his son. He was a frequent adopter of animals in need of medical attention - those found on the side of the road or stumbled upon in a forest or back yard. He would channel his passions for teaching and storytelling in these moments with his son to share the greatest of his strengths: his desire to have a positive impact on -and empathy with- the world around him. And no matter what the situation or occasion for the next epoch of his life, he always continued to make sure that he had carved out the time and a place for James in his world - sharing and teaching whatever he had in his possession that could be shared or taught. Briefly, Bob worked for the Texas State Health Department, before returning to academia at the University of Oklahoma to work towards a PhD in Zoology. It was here, acting as a TA for the master's students, that Bob met Molly Hunzicker, who would eventually be his wife of nearly 37 years and mother to Christopher and David. It was after the birth of Christopher in 1981 that Bob's deep personal sense of duty to put his family's needs first led to what might be considered the most consequential decision of his life: leaving his PhD program early, and leaving the Army Reserves as a Major, to take a career that would give him what he considered adequate means to take care of all of his sons for the remainder of their childhoods. He worked as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Development for Hunzicker Brothers, Molly's family's company. He worked for Hunzicker Brothers from 1981 until his retirement in 2008. During those years, Bob additionally acted as a Scout Master during Christopher and David's years in the Boy Scouts, was an active organizing member for the Oklahoma Scottish Clans Association, and member of the Neighborhood Association for Crown Heights in Oklahoma City. Bob had a gregarious nature, and true to his spirit as a teacher and storyteller he would happily volunteer for any position that would allow him to speak in front of a room full of people. As a member of the Scottish Clans Association and Regional Commissioner and Convenor for the Clan Buchanan, he ran the organizations' booth at Norman's Medieval Fair, where he would proudly show off his collection of Celtic weaponry and the associated regalia. As a Scout Master in the Cub Scouts, he relished taking the boys camping, where he could teach small lessons on whatever the local flora and fauna happened to be. As a member of the Neighborhood Association, he took part in planning annual holiday parades, picnics, and general 'dos, often acting as Master of Ceremonies for the annual 4th of July Festivities. When Christopher and David were in elementary school, he continued the family tradition of annual camping and road trips, continuing the sort of teaching be began with young James. Bob had always planned on going back to school after retirement. He gave a tremendous amount of himself away in order to provide for his sons in a way he saw fit, but always viewed the opportunity to return to academia after retirement as the light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, the first signs of early-onset Alzheimer's began to present themselves two short years after his retirement, making a full return to school impossible. Despite this, Bob was able to live with the disease for several years with dignity. He served for a time with the Oklahoma Historical Society, volunteering at the Oklahoma History Center cataloging and at times helping to restore donated or acquired artifacts. After his diagnosis with Alzheimer's in 2013, it became necessary for him to be moved to a full-time Alzheimer's care facility. And even then - until the very end - whenever his sons and extended family visited he was still always able to pull to mind some small lesson or story to share with those who were visiting. And this is how his family hopes he will always be remembered to any whose life was ever touched by his presence. As a teacher. As a storyteller. As a sharer of his collections of facts, curiosities and historic paraphernalia. As a man driven by both his passions and a deep sense of propriety. He will be loved always and missed deeply. A memorial service in his honor will be held at Smith & Kernke Funeral Homes & Crematory on Friday, November 9th at 2:00pm time, and there will be a viewing all day Thursday, November 8th. Any who knew him as friend, family, teacher, tinkerer, storyteller, armchair bard, zoologist and storyteller are welcome.