Robert Douglas Curtis

Rev. Robert Douglas Curtis (Bob), 57, Ottawa, died peacefully at his farmstead on Saturday, November 27, 2010 following a battle with cancer. Memorial Services for Rev. Curtis will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 401 W. 13th St., Ottawa, KS. His body was cremated. Inurnment Services will be at 2:00 p.m. on December 8, 2010, at Resurrection Cemetery, 8321 Quivira Road, Lenexa, KS. Bob was born January 16, 1953 in Waynesburg, PA to Daniel Rudolph and Thelma Ariel (Erskine) Curtis. He married Vivian Kay Smith on May 12, 1974 in Stillwater, OK. They had three children and three grandchildren. Bob graduated from Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore, OK, attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK, graduated from Bethany Nazarene College in Bethany, OK, and earned his Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Bob served as Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, OK, as Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, OK, as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, NE, as Treasurer of the Synod of Mid-America in Overland Park, KS, and as Executive Director of the Church Development Corporation in Overland Park, KS. Bob’s ministries outside the church included Executive Director of the Miami County Mental Health Center in Paola, Osawatomie, and Louisburg, KS, Victim Assistance Coordinator for the District Attorney of Johnson County in Olathe, KS, and President of Equalizer LLC where he taught Kansas and Missouri residents the safe handling and defensive use of handguns for personal and family protection, first at Cabela’s then at Bass Pro Shops. Whether at work or play, Bob was skilled at identifying solutions to problems and fixing them. He loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter of North American and South African game. From scuba diver to flight instructor to ballroom dancing student to organic farmer, his zest for life was undeniable. In life and in death, he testified to the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Survivors include his wife of over 36 years, Kay Curtis, daughters Charity Dawn Curtis of Ottawa and Amy Ruth Curtis of Lawrence, KS, daughter-in-law Sarah Nicole Breton of Shelton, CT, grandchildren Alec James Curtis Miller of Spring Hill, KS, Aerial Mercury Curtis Berry of Lawrence, KS, and Silas Sawyer Curtis of Shelton, CT, mother Ariel Curtis of Sun City, AZ, brother Daniel Leland Curtis and wife Nancy Annette (Lynn) of North Little Rock, AR, brother David Ralph Curtis and wife Katherine Elva (Sherman) of Sun City, AZ, and sisters-in-law Kathlyn Elizabeth (Smith) Caldron and husband Royce of Ponca City, OK, Barbara Jean (Smith) Tenbrink and Eugene Isbell of Mascoutah, IL, and Carol Ann (Smith) Hildabrand and husband Steven of Bartlesville, OK. Bob was preceded in death by his son Christopher Wayne Curtis of Lawrence, KS, his father Daniel Rudolph Curtis of Khedive, PA, his father-in-law Wayne Bickley Smith and his mother-in-law Pauline Ruth (Foster) Smith of Kingfisher, OK. The family suggests memorial contributions to Rev. Robert D. Curtis Memorial Fund, c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067. The Memorial Fund will be used to purchase a tree in his memory. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through dengelmortuary@sbcglobal.net.