Robert F. "Rob" Waldrop II

1948 - 2025

Robert "Rob" F. Waldrop II

February 14, 1948 - April 27, 2025

Carmel Valley, California - Robert F. "Rob" Waldrop II, 77, of Carmel Valley, CA and Sun City, AZ, passed away peacefully on April 27, 2025, with Connie, his loving wife of 45 years at his bedside. Rob was born on Valentine's Day 1948 to parents Bob and Betty Waldrop in Baton Rouge, LA. Rob has been a near lifetime resident of Johnson County, KS.

Upon completion in 1969 of high school and junior college requirements at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, MO, Rob went on active duty with the Army and served an initial commitment with the Military Police Corps at Fort Benning, GA. Separating from the Army, he enlisted in the Navy and served until 1976 on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) where he attained the rank of Electronic Warfare Petty Officer 2nd Class. The Kitty Hawk was extensively deployed in the Gulf of Tonkin during that period of the Vietnam war in support of naval air combat operations.

Rob's professional career was centered on his family's firm, the Milbank Manufacturing Company headquartered in Kansas City, MO. Having served over his lifetime in Milbank positions from after-school help to Chairman of the Board, Rob loved telling stories of his early years visiting the factory as a child. These included making puzzles and building train sets with his grandfather and company founder, Charlie Milbank. His father took his childhood education quite seriously, instructing Rob on one occasion to scrub paint off the factory floor with a pallet knife and to completely clean out the old paint system. Fortunately, Rob progressed quickly and subsequently served as a Milbank regional sales manager, and as Milbank Executive Vice President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board.

Rob's non-work activities primarily revolved around things that had engines and moved quickly, particularly motorcycles and sports cars. The earliest manifestation of this was his first car, a 1967 copper metallic Plymouth GTX which he happily shared at the time with his sister Lindy. Prior to his Vietnam service, Rob and his best friend, Jeff Wood, purchased Triumph motorcycles in Denmark and toured all over Europe on a young man's trip of a lifetime. After his military service Rob's love of cars progressed with the purchase of his first Porsche, a 1967 Signal Yellow 911 Targa. In perfect Tom Sawyer fashion, Rob taught his youngest siblings, Chuck and Trina, how to get the shiniest polish onto his perfect new wheels.

His love of Porsche cars led to years of membership in the Porsche Club of America (PCA). Rob even met his wife at a Kansas City Region PCA event. He married Connie Howe in 1979 and they explored their mutual attraction to cars and motorcycles together. Rob became well known for both the depth of technical knowledge he had of every car he had ever owned, seemingly having committed each owners' manual to memory, and for his attendance at hundreds of weekly car club Saturday breakfasts where he cajoled and bantered, sharing stories with fellow enthusiasts. Rob's 48 continuous years of PCA membership began in 1977 and included service as two-time president of the Kansas City PCA region. His contribution at the PCA national organizational level included chairing the competition events officiating committee at the annual Porsche Parade in 1983, PCA's national convention, held that year at The Lake of the Ozarks. Still a member in 2025, he organized and participated in innumerable driving and social events throughout the country.

Rob is preceded in death by his parents Robert F. Waldrop and Betty Milbank Waldrop. He is succeeded in life by his wife, Connie, sisters Lindy Porter (Tom Porter) and Trina Henke (Tom Henke), brother Chuck Waldrop and nieces and nephews, Bella Waldrop, Max Waldrop, Marcus Henke, Challie Henke and Erin Henke Reed. Rob will be remembered as a loving husband, brother and uncle, a dedicated cat lover, car lover, and aficionado of the finer things in life.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of contributions to Gift of Life, Overland Park, Kansas at www.giftdonor.org, or to Summit Hospice at www.summithcs.org. Condolences may be recorded at bestfuneralservices.com.

Celebration of Life gatherings will be held in Sun City on Monday, May 19th, and in Kansas City on Saturday, May 31st, 2025.