Bob Dubyne

Bob DuByne, 78, passed away on August 1, 2017, after a courageous fight with cancer. He died at his home with his family at his bedside. The Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m., Monday, August 7, at St. Jerome Catholic Church, followed immediately by the placing of ashes in St. Jerome's columbarium. The visitation will be 4:30-5:30 p.m., followed by a prayer service at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, August 6, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Bob was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and spent most of his boyhood years on a farm in Downer’s Grove, Illinois. His family moved to Napoleon, Ohio, where he attended high school. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1961 with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. In 1962, he left for South Vietnam to spend two years with the International Voluntary Services, a branch of the Agency for International Development. This small group of volunteers with I.V.S. lived in primitive conditions in remote villages, earning $80 a month. His Ag Engineering degree aided the Vietnamese farmers to extract water in the fields by constructing windmills, repairing farm equipment, and providing the local farmers his support and expertise in all phases of farming. Learning the language and teaching English were two more challenges that he undertook. While in Vietnam, he traveled to many Asian countries. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1964, he worked for Allis-Chalmers International in West Allis, Wisconsin, as a service rep, traveling to South American and Latin American countries. In 1967, he took a job in Moline, Illinois, with John Deere Intercontinental, where he trained for six months as a service rep to cover Southeast Asia. In 1966, he met the love of his life, Marilyn, and they were married in June 1967. In January 1968, Bob and Marilyn flew to Bangkok, Thailand, where they resided for almost three years, Manila, Philippines, for almost three years, and Kobe, Japan, for two years, returning to the U.S. in 1975, residing in the Moline area. His career took him to Toronto, Ontario, and Plano, Texas. He and his family moved to Waco, Texas, in 1989, working as a sales manager for Huck Fasteners (Alcoa). Bob retired in 2006, affording him the time to enjoy his favorite hobby of golf and travel. Bob also volunteered at Providence Hospital, driving the bus for patients at DePaul. Bob was active on many committees at St. Jerome Catholic Church over the years, and at the chapel at St. Catherine's on Providence Park campus. He is preceded in death by his parents, Florence and Frank DuByne; his brother Tom DuByne; and his first wife, Barbara Beal DuByne. He is survived his wife, Marilyn; his son, Rob of Wichita, Kansas; his daughter, Lauretta of Houston; two brothers, Richard and his wife, Vivian, and Jim DuByne, of Knoxville, Tennessee; his brother-in-law, Charles Slattery of Kansas City, Missouri; and nieces and nephews in several states in the U.S. and Taiwan. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, or the American Heart Association. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.