Bobby Ray Quillen Sr.'s Obituary
On July 2, 1940, a mischievous rascal named Bobby (Bob) Ray Quillen, Sr. was born in the foothills of Neon, Kentucky during the Great Depression. He started working right out of the gate at the age of four in a fruit stand to help support him and his mother, Maggie. His father, Robert D. Smith was serving in the military and times were tough in Appalachia.
Working hard to take care of his family always gave him a great sense of pride and accomplishment that carried throughout his life. He told stories of sleeping on a door propped up between an end table and the stairs, never having any socks or shoes, and walking the rails around the coal mines that had once brought a boom to Neon before the Depression hit. He said if his mother was ever looking for him, she could find him in the vegetable garden with a salt and pepper shaker, usually eating all of the tomatoes.
Over the years, he and his mother moved to places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, but Kentucky was always home. He had several aunts, including his Aunt Nellean (age 91 of Neon, KY, whom he considered a second mother) and uncles that helped raise him and learned that family supports each other, no matter how tough things get. When Bob was a teenager, his mother adopted his sister, Nola, and he said he instantly fell in love with her and wanted to do whatever he could to take care of Maggie and Nola.
Bob ultimately decided Neon didn't have the opportunities available to make his way, so at age 18 he left to build a future in a big city. His options at the bus station were for New York City, NY or Dallas, TX. He said he'd spent enough time on the east side of the country and chose Dallas. Here he quickly became buddies with another rascal named George. According to Bob, he and George got up to all sorts of mostly innocent trouble, but when they weren't raising hell, they were going out on the town to places like the movies. One evening, he saw two pretty girls sitting in the balcony of the theater and went up to flirt. One of the girls was named Betty, who turned around and offered him a bite of her Butterfinger. She was dating a few other guys at the time, but he said she was the one for him and ran all the other suitors off; unbeknownst to Betty. While they dated, he'd get into a little trouble here and there with George and Betty put him in line pretty quick. Since Betty was so good at setting him straight, he figured he needed to hang onto her and they got married August 8th, 1959. Their first son, Bobby, Jr., came shortly after and his second son, Jeff, not too long after that.
He knew he needed to find a career, so he had ambitions to join the military like his father and serve as a cook. For one reason or another, the military didn't work out and he started working in the kitchens of restaurants around Dallas. That's when he found the career he loved for many decades at Kip's Big Boy and moved Maggie and Nola down from Kentucky. Bob worked his way up to General Manager and genuinely loved taking care of his employees and customers. He once confessed that he used to set up a tape recorder in the kitchen to hear the employee gossip to see if there was anything he could glean to help everyone get along better. Local kids drove him crazy because they would constantly vandalize the Big Boy statue by pulling the burger off of Big Boy's hand to make the statue look like he was giving the middle finger. Bob laughed about this for years because he appreciated the humor in the prank. It spoke to his soul. He took time to get to know his customers and got the opportunity to serve several famous people over the years, like singer Janis Joplin.
When Bob wasn't working, he enjoyed spending time with his wife, sons and dogs, golfing, riding motorcycles (even though Betty adamantly did not approve), road trips (especially to Kentucky), cooking large family dinners on weekends and holidays with Betty, watching the Cowboys, and learning all he could about business. He took correspondence courses at Carnegie Mellon, but also devoted a lot to personal growth through reading.
After retirement from Kip's Big Boy, he spent some time consulting and speaking at conferences, but missed cooking and shooting the breeze with customers, so he set up his own sandwich shop in the bank building at the corner of Shiloh and Miller in Garland, TX. He made friends with everyone in the building or anyone that happened to walk in for breakfast or lunch. When there was a lull, he'd sit on his stool and take off his hat to show everyone his bald spot. He joked that his bald spot was from his wife Betty slapping him on the back of the head and this always got a ton of laughs.
After he closed his sandwich shop, he had the opportunity to build a relationship with his half brother, also named Bob who runs the Three Forks newspaper and historical center in Beatyville, KY, which helped him keep in touch with his roots. He kept busy bowling with Betty in the senior league and made many friends, had coffee at the House Cafe in Richardson with his buddies, and tending to his tomato garden. Over the years, Bob (Papa, to the grandkids) and Betty had nine grandchildren that he immensely enjoyed teaching how to cook, play cards, tell jokes, and relayed many valuable life lessons. He let everyone he loved know that he loved them fiercely and they would always have him on their side. He demonstrated tenderness and affection to everyone around him, especially to Betty. He'd sneak up behind her and nibble her neck to make her giggle and would sing songs to her like, "Lil' Red Riding Hood" by Sam The Sham & The Pharohs. Great big bear hugs and beard tickles were given freely to the grandkids. Those that knew Bob know that he had many a joke to tell and would always have a hilarious Kentucky colloquialism like, "It's hotter than two rats in a wool sock!". He had a boundless capacity of kindness and care for everyone he met. Those closest to him also knew he had a quick temper, but was even quicker to apologize. Though he thought this was his least best quality, this was probably one of his most endearing traits as he knew that no matter what life's frustrations he encountered or how he reacted, love mattered above all else and he'd do what he needed to make it right, even if that meant taking a short walk around the block.
In the most recent years, Bob had less mobility and wasn't able to socialize because of COVID-19, but his playfulness and sincerity never waivered. In the early hours of the morning on Thursday, July 21, 2022, shortly after his 82nd birthday, Bob Quillen passed at the Richardson Methodist Hospital from medical complications. He had Betty, his son Bobby, and two of his granddaughters Christina and Abby by his side playing his favorite songs, holding his hand, and telling him how much he was loved as he quietly and peacefully slipped away. In his honor, Betty and Bobby, Jr. shared a Butterfinger.
He is preceded in death by his son, Jeffrey David Quillen.
Bob is survived by his wife of almost 63 years, Betty Ruth Quillen; son, Bobby Ray Quillen, Jr.; brother, Bob Smith of Beatyville, KY (Three Forks Tradition); sister, Nola Ann Farris of Granbury, TX; aunt, Nellean Bentley of Neon, KY; grandchildren, Christina, Lauren, Cory, Rachel, Jessica, Abby, Claire, Ryan and Blake and great grandchildren, Fiona, Trent, Phoebe, Davina and Paul, Jr..
There will be a Viewing/Visitation on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 from 6:00-8:00pm at Restland Funeral Home, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243 . His Funeral Service will be on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 at 10:00am at Restland's Wildwood Chapel with burial to follow.
What’s your fondest memory of Bobby?
What’s a lesson you learned from Bobby?
Share a story where Bobby's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Bobby you’ll never forget.
How did Bobby make you smile?
