Robert B. Sibert

ROBERT BOBBY SIBERT March 21, 1929 - May 12, 2020 I’ve lived a life that’s full / I’ve traveled each and every highway But more, much more than this / I did it my way The year was 1929. The world was grappling with an Influenza pandemic that killed over 200,000 people. The first public phone booths in the world appeared in the United Kingdom. Across the pond in the United States of America, Motorola manufactured the first car radio and Bell Telephone Laboratories made the first public demonstration of the color television. The very first Academy Awards–now known widely as the Oscars–presented 12 statues and were hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr. The 1929 Stock Market Crash began The Great Depression which led to a world-wide economic crisis that lasted well into the 1930s. In Detroit, Michigan, Sallie Mae and Edward Siebert were anticipating a child that year. Legend has it that Sallie really wanted to name her son Bobby. The white nurse promptly told her, “Bobby is a nickname. Surely you should name him Robert.” Sallie pondered the advice. There were 59,796 Roberts born that year; however, none were as unique as Robert Bobby Sibert born on March 21. Imaginative and creative, he envisioned a world where he could dream and live that dream. As a child, he frequently heard iconic sports broadcaster and radio play-by-play announcer, Ty Tyson, call Detroit Tigers games. He would listen to Tyson’s cadence and soon perfected his announcing skills. Though neighbors found this gift odd or even weird, his mother encouraged him under her watchful eyes. He was educated in the Detroit Public Schools and eventually graduated from the historic John J. Pershing High School. Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew But through it all, when there was doubt / I ate it up and spit it out I faced it all and I stood tall / And did it my way He met and married his “main squeeze” Deloris Frances Williamson. They were young and in love just as President Harry Truman requested to reinstate the draft requiring twelve months of active service. By 1950, he was separated from his wife as a private in the Korean War. He experienced first-hand the horrors and disruptions of armed conflict. He knew warfare was not his calling. He soon spoke with his sergeant and was reassigned to kitchen duty where he prepared food for his fellow soldiers. Perhaps this was the genesis of his peace advocacy. Despite the strife around him, he maintained a positive perspective and attitude that navigated him safely home with an honorable discharge. He and his wife then started a family together. They raised five children: Frances, Robert, Jr., Zenobia, Barbara, and Larry. I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried / I’ve had my fill my share of losing And now, as tears subside / I find it all so amusing He was employed as a lineworker with Chrysler Corporation for three decades. He worked on an automotive assembly line invented in 1902 by Ransom Olds of Oldsmobile and improved upon by Henry Ford years later. He saw the evolution of the automobile industry to include robotics that assisted in the assembly line. Although he was proud to have helped build many of the American cars known and loved around the world; he never drove. Instead, he loved walking and relied on God’s original form of transportation: his feet. His relationships with family and friends connected and anchored him throughout his life. He grew up understanding the notion of family as a beautifully complicated thing. It is what made Thanksgiving his favorite holiday. It is what caused him to still call Deloris his wife even after their separation and even beyond her death. He loved sports like he loved his family. It is no secret that he planned life around his sporting events. If you wanted to spend time with him, he would first consult the television guide to determine if a game was on. Scheduling time was rarely easy because he loved them all from football to basketball to baseball. And if you timed your visit just right, you might glimpse him in full play-by-play sports commentator mode! Regrets, I’ve had a few / But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do / And saw it through without exemption Although he never fully realized his own dream of becoming a broadcaster, he became a dreammaker. He encouraged and challenged his family and strangers alike to push through roadblocks and glass ceilings. He was inspirational and encouraging. He was compassionate and optimistic. He was blessed with longevity. He declared the endings and showed up with vigor and joy. He wanted to see his grandchildren graduate from college. He witnessed that multiple times. He wanted to see his great grandchildren graduate high school and enter college. He saw that. He wanted to live to celebrate a great grandchild’s 15th birthday and he was there to join in the festivities. He was there for marriages, job promotions and losses, and home purchases. He was there for challenges, broken hearts, and setbacks. He was a confidante, a consoler, a thought partner, a patriarch. He built special relationships with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Whether he was recording a video with one or telling a needed story to another, he did not force any of them into a preconceived concept of who or what they should be or become. He lived with his youngest daughter and helped raise his grandchildren. He continued as a positive influence in the lives of his great grandchildren. He taught his grandchildren and great grandchildren to practice gratitude and to love unconditionally. He shared with them his deep appreciation for soul-nourishing foods from rabbit with rice and gravy to Vienna sausages on saltine crackers. They witnessed his love affair with Sanders Ice Cream and they began sipping from his wellspring of wisdom: “It’s never too late or too early to be who you desire to be” and “You can make the best or worst of this thing we call life” among many other sayings With each passing generation, he honed his skills as a parent and caregiver. It was as if God had bestowed upon him yet another chance to get things right. His overflowing love extended to all he met. “He was a kind man, he would always make me feel welcomed” and “He was about peace; Uncle Bobby didn't have time for the drama!” Once your paths crossed or you were invited into his home, you were family. This was how Bernice Carter became like a daughter to him. He would ask about you and your progress on the goals you had discussed with him. Whether he called you by your name or resorted to calling you by your job title, he wanted to see you succeed at life. And he would leave you with some sound advice. “Treat mean people with a long-handled spoon!” or “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!” were among his many sayings. And now, the end is near / And so I face the final curtain My friend, I'll say it clear / I'll state my case, of which I'm certain The record shows I took the blows / And did it my way He exuded a zeal for life. He read the newspaper each day to stay abreast of current events. He enjoyed watching The View. He was a fan of The Wendy Williams Show until Wendy bashed his favorite celebrity couple. He drank hot tea with a bit of lemon and sugar faithfully. He believed in the medicinal and therapeutic value of the beverage. He was also known to enjoy the occasional glass of Boone’s Farm Wine–but that is a story for another time! He was fascinated by Westerns, a genre of film set in the Old Wild West. Saloons, gunslingers, and cowboys fed his divine imagination. In Westerns he found unbridled beauty. In Westerns he found good triumphing over evil. On May 12, 2020, while watching The Western Channel, he peacefully rode off into the sunset of eternity. His memory will be cherished by his brother and his sister-in-law, Johnnie and Mattie Siebert; his children and their spouses, Larry (Mary) Sibert, Frances Carter, Robert (Eileen) Sibert Jr., and Barbara Sibert. His legacy will be sustained by his grandchildren, Charles, Darnell, Phillip, Robert III, Carlton, Geneva, Kendra (AJ), Tina (Delano), Katie, Lee LaShawn, Cherise, Kamisha, Kenneth Jr., Adrian, Cameron, and Christopher; his pride and joy, Justin, Jade, and Chelsea, and host of great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Others who count it a blessing to have known him are his cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family members, and countless friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sallie Mae and Edward Siebert; his siblings, Susie, Margie, Geneva, Polly, Nina, Frances, Bessie, Lois, Helen, Bill, Edward Fred, Tim, Raymond, Clarence, Donald, Corrine, Luther, Leroy; his daughter, Zenobia Durr; his special nephew, Tommy Siebert; and his best friend, Stanley Bridges.