Robert Edward Enk

Memorials may be made to Donor's Choice. Enk, Robert E. "Bob", of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, died on Sunday, July 19, 2009 at the age of 85. Dear husband the late Damarius Joan Enk (nee: Damarius Joan Jones); dear son of the late Edward E. and Anna Enk; devoted father of Susan (Ken) Bell, Cindy (Tom) Strain, Sandy (Jim) Murphy, Robert Enk, Jr. and the late Diana Pettet; beloved grandfather of 9 and great-grandfather of 6. He is preceded in death by his brother, John Enk. Bob was an educator and coach in the St. Louis Public School District for over 30 years. He made an impact on thousands of students during his days at Beaumont H.S. (his alma mater), Central H.S. and Cleveland H.S. To help support his growing family, he worked as the manager of the Carrollton Swimming Pool Complex for over 20 years during the summer months. During his time there, the complex and the swimming instruction program grew so that countless numbers of children learned to swim and even some of the next generation. Bob and Joan lived in the Bel-Nor community from 1962-1995. Never one to sit still, Bob served on the Board of Trustees in several leadership roles - even the Chief of Police - during these years. The family joined the Normandy United Methodist Church and Bob found another avenue for his energy. He was always at church to help out with maintenance, repairs, or even cutting grass. Retirement brought more time to relax, but Bob's competitive spirit led to his next sport of golf and at the age of 80 he was shooting his age! He loved the sport and also worked as a marshal for Hawk Ridge Golf Course and the Golf Course of Wentzville for over 10 years. This drive for commitment and involvement started in high school as the captain of the basketball team. Bob led the team to victory in the Class A State High School Basketball Championship in 1942. After high school he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton as an instructor in hand-to-hand combat before seeing active duty. He served from 1943 to 1946. He used the GI Bill to attend college to get his teaching certificate at Northeast MO State. While attending a fraternity party, he met and married the love of his life, Joan Jones, and their next 56 years together were happy and busy. Bob was an ordinary man in many aspects, but extraordinary to the many lives he touched. A true testament to "one person can make a difference" - he did.