Roby Park

Roby Lee Park, of Bloomington, IN, passed away on June 29, 2023, peacefully in her sleep. She was born Roby Leenean Browers on April 10, 1939, in Quinton, Oklahoma to Dr. John Walter Browers and Ramey Celeste “Billie” Browers (Milburn). Survivors include her sister, Charlotte Moore (Browers), son, Scott (Vonda) Dyer of Lewisville, Texas, four stepdaughters, Stacy Walden (Park) of Bloomington, Sheila (Phil) Berger of Iowa, Sherry (Jeff) Carr of Virginia, Susan (Mark) Kleinbauer of Bloomington;; grandchildren Delaney Dyer, Avery Dyer, Alexis (Chris) Zeigler, Ariel (Todd) Capouch, Lauren (Tyler) Goodman, Amelia Carr, Sophia Carr, Ella Carr, Nicki Kleinbauer, Cassidy Kleinbauer, and various great grandchildren. Roby was preceded in death by children Johnna Carol, John Mark and John Gregory, her parents and her beloved husband, Max Harold Park, who passed in December, 2022. Roby was a proud alumnus of Oklahoma City University. She was a schoolteacher and worked in several offices as a trusted and able administrator before heart issues and her desire to be home to invest more time in raising her son caused her to leave the business world. Roby’s real passion was music, particularly the piano, which she played from a very early age literally right up until her stroke in April of 2023. Roby was the piano player for Church of the Incarnation United Methodist Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for many years and at several other churches, nursing homes and community centers in Oklahoma, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, including at Meadowood in Bloomington, where she also lived briefly until her illness. Roby delighted people with her passionate, vibrant, some might say “sassy” playing style, especially her grandchildren, who loved to hear her play the Boogie Woogie and Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”, also her father, Dr. J.W. Browers’, favorite. Her piano playing was captivating and magical, and she blessed many people with it. She found tremendous happiness in bringing joy to others through music. Roby was exceedingly kind and welcoming to others and always had dozens of friends wherever she lived, worked, or served. She went out of her way to serve others, to bring a meal, to send a card or gift, or to just show up when she felt that she was needed by a friend or neighbor. As the saying goes, she never knew a stranger, and she was a loyal and faithful friend. Roby loved her neighbors, her PEO sisters, her church friends and many, many friends in other states whom she had lived life with and continued to stay in touch with. Once a friend of Roby’s, always a friend. The same was true of Roby as a mother and grandmother. She was often one of the few, if not the only, parent or grandparent at dozens of baseball, basketball, football and soccer games, solo contests, band performances, etc. She knew the power of presence, of showing up and being supportive, just because it was important to someone she loved. Roby deeply loved her husband, Max, and his family. She experienced 31 rich, full, and joyful years of marriage with him, making memories together and building and enjoying their backyard Wooded Wonderland in southern Bloomington. They found in each other true soulmates and modeled unselfish and unconditional love to one another. They were inseparable, save by death, and now are rejoined in heaven because of the grace and love of the Savior they shared. Most of all, Roby loved her family, her Lord and her faith community. She was a woman of deep belief and conviction and a member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Bloomington, IN. Roby brought joy, fun, friendship, hope and care to so many throughout her life and she will be deeply missed by all who were blessed to have known her and be loved by her. The funeral will be held at St Mark’s United Methodist Church in Bloomington on Saturday, July 29th at 1:00 PM, with a visitation preceding, beginning at 11:00 AM.

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Roby Park

April 10, 1939 - June 29, 2023