Roberta L. Nunez

Roberta (Bobbie) Nunez, of LaGrange, IL, world traveler, defender of the underdog, lover of ethnic food, walks in the woods, and good dance partners, died peacefully on September 29, 2025, surrounded by her loved ones.

She was the fortunate daughter of two loving parents, William James Keillor and Theresa Agnes Sasso (both deceased), and the sister of two, shall we say quirky but lovable brothers, William James Keillor Jr. (deceased), husband of Maria Moreira Keillor (deceased), and Lawrence Anthony Keillor (Pamela Keillor). Bobbie married (and divorced) Mario Nunez and had two charming daughters, Julia Felice (Joseph Felice) of Barrington Hills, and Kathleen Foster (Troy Foster) of Evanston, and three precious granddaughters, Maya and Cora Foster and Sienna Felice. She was also blessed with a glorious grandson, Evan Felice. She adored spending time with these children!

Bobbie grew up in Maywood, Illinois, until age 16, when she was uprooted by the family's move to Andover, Ohio. Later, she attended Defiance College in Ohio for one year before transferring to the University of Illinois in Champagne, where she graduated in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in Spanish literature. Her passion was learning foreign languages. Her proudest moment was when she received straight A's one semester. That was the term when she had Spanish class at 8 AM, followed by Italian at 9 AM and French at 10 AM. Ay, yay yay! If by chance, she heard someone speaking another language in a store or on the street, she would follow them to enjoy their unique intonation and attempt to recognize words. Her experience with languages served her well when she worked as a Public Aid caseworker, then as assistant to the Brazilian doctor Earl Roth. Her last job, and also her favorite, was at Elmhurst College, where she was assistant to the Sr. Vice President for Financial Affairs.

Bobbie's favorite word had always been GO. Whether it was to a church activity, a library program, a Messiah or carillion concert, a bird walk, or to lunch with a friend, she had to be out and about. Her mother called her the joiner/quitter because she wanted to be involved in every activity, but quickly selected out. Fortunately, she stuck with her musical endeavors, singing in choirs and ensembles, like the Pymatuning Valley High School girls' sextet (not particularly sexy) and playing piano and organ at her little country church in Ohio. The exception was her accordion lessons, which she bowed out of within six months when she could not play Lady of Spain, like her brother Bill did.

She was addicted to Kirschenbaum's chocolate donuts, cilantro, and Latvian rye bread. But, what she valued most was her family, including nieces and nephews, cousins, and her Chilean and Costa Rican in-laws. Also, high on her list were her close friends and the First Congressional Church of LaGrange. What sparked joy was watching children skip, picnicking, and Christmas pageants – both as a participant (she once had the angel role) and as an observer, watching the little lambs crawl around the stage.

She excelled at living within her means by shopping for clothes at resale shops, using hand-me-down furniture, and even saving the plastic birthday cake decor to reuse. And, she tried without success to control her family's spending as well. She really was somewhat stingy, and she closely guarded her money to spend on what she enjoyed most – travel. Then she took trips around Europe; North, Central and South America; the Caribbean; and Africa; at times traveling alone.

Bobbie lived the life that she wanted and was blessed with plenty of love.

The family would like to thank the Westminster staff who took great care of her during her last few years.

Memorial services will occur at the First Congregational Church of Lagrange on October 12 at 2 PM.