Robert Rooks

August 20, 1929 - November 20, 2018

With trumpets sounding and angels singing, Pastor Robert “Bob” Rooks was welcomed into Heaven shortly after midnight on November 20, 2018. While there was jubilation in Heaven, there was shock and sorrow on earth! Whether you knew him as Pastor, Brother, Bob, Dad, Papa Bob, neighbor, friend, or Mr. Rooks, you knew him as a faithful servant of God. As he wrote in his book, Eighty Years of Memories, published in 2014, he believed that everyone and everything in his life was the result of God’s wonderful Providence. Bob was born on August 20,1929 in northeastern Georgia to a godly but extremely poor farm couple who were sharecroppers and moved often. He was the youngest of six children. His Mother died when he was five, but her influence in those early years had a lasting effect on his spiritual development. As an adult, he learned his mother prayed when he was born that he would become a preacher. There were many events in his early years that had a huge impact on his life: - The attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning, December 07, 1941 to begin World War II. He was 12 years old. - The death of his Mother at age 5. - His Daddy’s marriage to his step-mother, Miss Florence, when he was eleven. - Getting his first piano at age 15. He never had a piano lesson but “played by ear” and practiced every day. He taught himself music notes from an old piano instruction book. He played beautifully!! - Leaving the farm at age 18 and moving to the BIG city of Atlanta. - Becoming a Christian at age 20. - Delaying college to be drafted into the Army in 1950 to serve in the Korean War. - Enrolling at Bob Jones University in 1952 and graduating in 3 ½ years. - Enrolling at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. - Accepting his first pastorate in Petal, Mississippi (near Hattiesburg) while still in seminary. - Meeting his future wife, Peggy. The story of meeting his beloved, Peggy, is a good one. A mutual friend was convinced he and Peggy would make a great couple. After a bit of hesitancy by Peggy, the friend managed to have them meet briefly for a coffee date. Peggy’s good friend went along with her. Peggy was told that her friend was actually the one who was meeting Bob. But Peggy’s beautiful blue eyes and joyous personality caused Bob to notice her – not her friend. Peggy was not interested in Bob but the mutual friend did not give up. He arranged for Bob and Peggy to go on a blind date – which was a disaster! Peggy told the friend that she never wanted to see Bob again while Bob told the friend that he had finally found the girl he wanted to marry. When Peggy heard that, she decided to try one more date – which began a courtship that ended in marriage on August 08, 1959. Bob and Peggy both graduated that summer – Bob before the wedding and Peggy after the wedding. It was a busy summer! Their first apartment was in Hattiesburg, MS near the church Bob was pastoring in nearby Petal. In January 1960, Bob was contacted by the First Baptist Church of Redway, CA to see if he would consider coming to be their pastor. After much prayer and seeing signs of God’s leadership, the call to the church was accepted and the last Sunday of February was set to be the beginning date of Bob’s ministry. Following a sometimes treacherous 2500 mile trip, pulling a U-Haul trailer, the journey ended and an exciting new journey began. Both Bob and Peggy immediately fell in love with California and believed that this is where God would keep them for the rest of their lives. Fifty eight years later, this has proven to be true. Bob served as pastor of six California churches, two on the North coast, two in the Bay area, and two in the San Diego area. He also filled numerous interim positions all over the state as recently as this year. He spent much of his last few years volunteering time at local churches, teaching Bible studies at Bethel Baptist and Church at Rancho Bernardo, assisting with the ministry at the Villa Rancho Bernardo retirement facility and being part of the counting team at Church at Rancho Bernardo. He loved to give his time in so many ways! Peggy and Bob loved to travel and had the privilege of taking a ten nation tour of Europe. They also traveled to Australia and New Zealand. They visited most of the lower forty-eight states as well as several of our national parks. In addition, they spent time in Alaska and Hawaii where Bob served two churches as interim pastor. Bob lost his beautiful blue-eyed, Peggy, in August of 2015. Since that time, he made several trips to the East Coast to visit relatives, including several to visit his sister, Martha, and attend her 100th birthday celebration in 2016. He also made road trips, which he drove himself,, through California and to Arizona to visit friends, attend memorial services, and even to Yuma one day for lunch...and made it back in time for dinner at the Taco Shop with his Friday night Taco Shop group! Bob lived 89 healthy, happy, productive and Christ-centered years which included – on his last day – volunteering at the Church of Rancho Bernardo in the morning, eating lunch, and then driving himself to Urgent Care in the midst of an unsuspected heart attack!!! Bob was a devoted husband and proud father of two children, Jon and Jan, along with his wonderful daughter-in-law, Jill. He was also blessed to have two amazing grandkids, Brett and Kelly Rooks, and special adopted granddaughter, Hayley Heffron. He was a much-loved and special friend to many people. We will all miss him greatly! Since Bob was such a generous, ministry- and community-minded person, the family asks that you honor him through a donation to The Church at Rancho Bernardo Impact Offering, 11740 Bernardo Plaza Court, SD, CA 92128 or to any other charity of your choice. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Bethel Baptist Church, 855 Brotherton Road, Escondido, CA 92025. All are welcome.