Robert J. Kapinus, age 96, born on August 16, 1926, and passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 12, 2023.

Survived by his loving and devoted wife of 71 years, Rose Kapinus (nee McMurray); daughter, Barbara Perez; son, David (Cathy) Kapinus; grandson, Eric (Wen) Kapinus, and his brother, William Kapinus.

Preceded in death by his parents, Joseph (Elizabeth) Kapinus; his brother, Kenneth and his sisters, Gertrude Schuda, Beatrice Norell, and Sally Lustig.

Robert was a quiet man of integrity and honor. Never drawing attention to himself, even when his actions merited it. With humility he shunned compliments and praise. He would build anything Rose asked, often times for someone else and always Rose by his side. After serving time in the Army, he was recruited by the Chicago Cubs farm team, as "Rapid Robert" had a mean fastball. But he preferred to start a home and family with Rose, so he drew up the plans and built their home in Joliet. With his background in baseball, he coached and umpired his son David's Little League team. Always striving to be healthy, he played Handball at the YMCA while Rose watched with pride. Later golf became his sport, content to hit a bucket of balls and let Barbara and David round them up. Besides healthy exercise, his Chech upbringing of cabbage rolls and sauerkraut instilled in him healthy eating, which no doubt contributed to a life of 96 years. He also knew the importance of mental exercise doing daily crossword puzzles with Rose. He retired from Olin Chemical after 46 years. He passed onto his son David his carpentry skills, to his grandson Eric his baseball skills and to his daughter Barbara his love of chocolate. Rose got a husband that did everything with her and for her, that war generation that knew the value of marriage. Although he pretended not to care about Rose's love of pets, still he wrestled with their dog Chan, lovingly called "the dog-faced boy".

He left us quietly and peacefully, always saying, "at 96, I've already won the game".

Funeral services for Robert will be held at Farkas Funeral Home, 3201 W. Jefferson St. Joliet, IL 60431 on Friday, January 20, 2023, at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until time of services. Entombment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park.

For more information, please call 815-725-0100 or visit www.farkasfuneralhome.com.