Robert Wilshire, age 84, died on September 4, 2026, at The Village in Mission, Prairie Village, Kansas of heart failure and complications from diabetes.  Robert was born on July 9. 1942, in Kansas City, Kansas to Joel and Della Wilshire.  He attended Welborn Elementary School and graduated from Washington High School in 1960.  He attended Kansas State University briefly before going to work for Armco Steel.  He subsequently  graduated from KCK Community College and, in 1984, the University of Kansas.  

Robert had a varied work career:  he was a member of Laborers 1290, he was a counselor at Fairfax Institute, he was an usher for the Kansas City Repertory Theater and finished his career as a Probation Officer for Wyandotte County District Court, retiring in 2004.

Robert married Barbara McReynolds in 1960 and together they had two sons, Kenneth Martin and Robert Scott.  They divorced in 1964.  In 1985 he married Anne McDonald and she survives him.    

Robert had wide and varied interests: he was equally at home in an opera house and a tent; in the wilderness or a city like Chicago.  He and Anne regularly attended the symphony, the opera and local plays.  They enjoyed blues and bluegrass concerts, often when camping near Mountain View, Arkansas with their long-time camping companions Dave and Kathy Patton.  Robert played the acoustic guitar for many years.

Robert took up hiking and backpacking in his forties and enjoyed many weekends backpacking in the Ozarks in Missouri and Arkansas.  He was a member of the Kanza Chapter of the Sierra Club and served as Outings leader. He and Anne also backpacked in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico.  And they enjoyed trips in their trailer, many of them in Rocky Mountain National Park where he hiked and camped with his sister and her husband for many years.

Robert was a Friend of Bill, celebrating 50 years on August 1, 2026.  He was a long-time member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Village at Mission and Monarch Hospice for their kind care of Robert.

Robert leaves his wife, Anne, his sons, Kenneth and Scott; his sister, DeAnn Smith (Rick) and grandson Joshua Hunter and beloved nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will take place at Porter Funeral Home, 1835 Minnesota Ave., KCK,  on Saturday, September 12, 2026, with visitation at 1:00 pm and a memorial service at 2:00 pm.  His cremains will later be interred at Chapel Hill in Kansas City Kansas.

Robert, like so many other Kansas Citians, followed KU basketball and enjoyed going to Royals’ baseball games.  .  He supported the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and our US National Parks, should friends wish to make a memorial contribution.