Robert Riner "Bob" Hellenga

1941 - 2020

GALESBURG - Robert "Bob" Riner Hellenga, 78, Galesburg, died July 18, 2020, at home with his wife by his side. He faced death with humor, bravery and the determined resistance typical of his irascible nature. Bob and Virginia's love and friendship for 56 years proved that their whole was more than the sum of their parts.

Throughout his life, Bob, with Virginia, welcomed friends and strangers to the kitchen table, the heart of their home. To know Bob was to eat with Bob. He loved a good culinary adventure, whether it was a work of art (desserts such as the Saint-Cyr, glacé) or a misadventure leading his girls to ask, "That's not for dinner, is it?" He took his family to Italy for a year and wove that experience into his cooking and his novels. Bob's guitar playing was at the heart of every gathering of family and friends.

A memorial will be held when possible in the future. In the meantime, honor his memory by listening to "Jelly Roll Baker" and "Let your Light Shine on Me" on the YouTube playlist, "Dad Hellenga." Remember him by enjoying a poached egg or spaghetti alla carbonara.

So, keep your knives sharp and your palate open. Find adventure in the ordinary, be curious, seek knowledge and engage your senses. Act like a kid with abandon in public, show strangers the way, and note the deep mystery found in the pockets of silence. What would change if you lived life in the metaphor of a piazza rather than a road? What if you already are where you are meant to be?

Bob was born Aug. 5, 1941, in Milwaukee to Marjorie (Johnson) and Ted Hellenga. He was raised in the small town of Three Oaks, Michigan, and spent his summers in Milwaukee, where his father was a produce broker. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, where he met his future wife, Virginia Killion. They were married in 1963 and immediately set sail for Belfast, Ireland, where he had a year-long fellowship at Queen's University. He received his master's degree at University of North Carolina and his doctorate at Princeton University. He and Virginia moved to Galesburg in 1968, where he began his lifelong teaching and writing career as an English professor at Knox College. Bob authored eight fiction novels and an as-yet unpublished poetry anthology, "Prognosis For Survival-Not Good."

Bob is survived by Virginia; his brother, Ted Hellenga Jr.; three daughters, Rachel Hellenga (fiancé Ben Good), Heather Hellenga (Tom Colclasure) and Caitrine Hellenga (Tim Barker); grandchildren, Braxton Farr, Harper Lee and Jackson Colcasure; six nieces and nephews; and his beloved dog, Simone.

Online condolences may be made to Facebook/Robert.hellenga and rhelleng@knox.edu. Memorials may be made in his name to the Galesburg Public Library and Knox College.