The Jacksonville community owes a debt of gratitude to local businessman, volunteer and all-around good guy Robert E. “Bob” Chipman.
“Bob was good at whatever he did, whether it was loaning money, selling real estate or giving his time to organizations that were important to him and to Jacksonville,” said Joy French Becker, president and board chair of the Farmers State Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville. “Bob was a wonderful friend and colleague of mine for many years. His counsel was invaluable and he was always true to his word. He is an irreplaceable asset to us all.”
Chipman, a lifelong Jacksonville resident, died on July 20 at the age of 72. He leaves behind a legacy of service to the community, but more than that, it was Chipman’s sunny demeanor that seems to have left the most lasting impression on all who knew him.
“It’s nearly legendary now around here, that megawatt smile of Smiley Bob’s. As someone recently said to me, ‘Tim, his smile more than lit a room, it lifted a room,” recalled son Tim Chipman. “So in the genetic wheel of fortune, did Dad get a double dose of the smiley DNA? Perhaps, but I’m convinced Dad set his mind, his nature and his face on wearing a smile.”
But you wouldn’t catch Bob talking about himself very much because verbosity was one character that he did not display, according to Tim.
“He didn’t need to exchange a lot of words,” Tim said. “Dad always got a kick out of the phrase ‘shaggy dog story,’ a long-winded anecdote, and he tended to retire from those who spun lengthy yarns with little point or decipherable conclusion.”
Bob’s wife, Janet, remembered her husband’s favorite Mark Twain quote: “‘He liked people; therefore, people liked him,'” she said, “And a second quote, ‘You’re never fully dressed without a smile.'”
That smile and his trademark bow tie were ever-present features of Bob’s work as a loan officer at the Farmers State Bank and then his real estate and appraisal business. The smile accompanied Bob’s volunteer work as president of the local YMCA board, Jacksonville Kiwanis Club, Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce, Passavant Area Hospital Board, Association of Realtors, Prairieland United Way Board, Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation and the Jacksonville Area Museum Foundation. Bob was inducted into the Jacksonville Hall of Fame in 2023.
“As a child, after brushing our teeth or combing our hair, Dad and I would stand before the bathroom mirror, side-by-side, and say aloud in unison, ‘like father, like son, like father, like son,'” said Tim. “Each of us would smile broadly, facing ourselves in the reflection of the mirror, and occasionally break out in laughter.”
Janet recounted that Bob’s campaign slogan for student government leadership at Illinois College was “Be hip with B. Chip.” Bob later was a member of the Illinois College Board of Trustees for 25 years, serving in many capacities at his alma mater, including vice chair of the board. He retired from the board of trustees in 2023 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the college, then continued to serve the institution as a trustee emeritus.
“Bob was a positive person who led with a smile and a warm greeting to everyone he encountered throughout his day,” recalled Illinois College President Barbara Farley. “He made everyone feel good about themselves and he brightened days with his concern and warmth. Bob was the person you would want to be your neighbor and friend.”
Farley got to know Bob, his wife Janet, and the Chipman family well over the years. She considered Bob to be a true friend who was always polite and respectful of others.
“Bob was first and foremost a man who loved his family and was happiest when he was surrounded by them. I saw Bob’s grandchildren interact playfully with him and there was always laughter,” Farley said. “I saw the deep love he and Janet shared and the strength of their marriage of 51 years. And I saw him interact with sons Timothy and Andrew, and their wives, in ways that demonstrated pride and joy in their accomplishments.”
That family pride has been carried through multiple Chipman generations, according to Bob’s son Andrew Chipman.
“Dad came from a long line of ‘delighters’ – delighters of family, of the preciousness of childhood and of small moments,” Andrew said. “Dad also came from a long line of ‘investors’ – investors in oneself, building a stable life and in creating the opportunity to give to others.”
Andrew opined that his dad had a Sunday School teaching record at First Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville “that rivaled Jimmy Carter’s,” and remembered the Bible verse that hung in the family’s spotless, orderly garage: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
But stuffiness didn’t come with Bob’s religious faith.
“When we were kids, we had this thing where we referred to our mother, Janet, as No. 1 and my brother and I were two and three, followed by our dogs who were No. 4 and No. 5, and our rabbits were six and seven,” Andrew recalled. “Which left Dad to be No. 8, and for years we teased Dad about being No. 8. We also called him Mr. Clean because of his penchant for neatness and order.”
Bob Chipman enjoyed traveling with his family, playing basketball, coaching youth teams and reading extensively, including biographies of every president, in order. But his greatest moments of joy, according to his family, were laughing on the carpet with his grandchildren, who affectionately called him “F,” or walking hand-in-hand with Janet on the sidewalks of his beloved Jacksonville.
David Blanchette was a young radio reporter when he first met Bob Chipman 40 years ago and interviewed him as a young mover and shaker in Jacksonville. Their paths crossed numerous times throughout the years, most recently through their mutual involvement in the Jacksonville Area Museum. Like countless others, Dave was always greeted by Bob’s electric smile and feels truly blessed to have known him.
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This article appears in Remembering 2024.
