Bob Hubbard
(July 3, 1928 – Sep 7, 2002)
Bob Hubbard was an amazing person. In an amazing number of ways, in an amazing number of fields. Music, ministry, spiritual mentor, humor, encourager, and friend, just to name some of them. Did you know, for example, that he was an original member of the Jordanaires? They performed in Nashville on the Grand Ole Opry stage with stars like Minnie Pearl, Red Foley, and others, and were the backup quartet for Tennessee Ernie Ford, Pattie Page, and a few years later (after Bob had left), a young fella named Elvis Presley.
If you want to see a marvelous clip of Bob singing with the group in 1951 (!!), check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPSOmo1a4jg. (Within just the first minute, you can hear both the group and Bob’s solo!) For a great picture of Bob and the ‘50-‘51 group, see https://aftermathenterprises.com/the-jordanaires-and-bob-hubbard/
If you want to see more about Bob’s career, feel free to visit this link, which has his obituary: https://greenlawnfuneralhome.com/obituary/robert-t-hubbard/
But, to give you a picture you won’t get there, let me get a little more personal.
Our friendship with Bob began back in 1979, in an interesting way. My wife Pat, had become intrigued with the practice of yoga, and its possible physical benefits for the body (and soul’s) well-being. We can admit this now, of course, but back then, such curiosity was highly suspect, especially here in Southwest Missouri. Our friend from church – John Shepherd, also a member of the Foggy River Boys – said, “I think Bob Hubbard knows about that stuff. You should call him.”
So, Pat called him. He asked, “What is it you’re looking for?” To this day, Pat still doesn’t know why this popped into her mind, but she answered, “The truth.” Bob replied, “Then I can help you.”
Thus began – simultaneously – our deeper spiritual path, with Bob as our mentor and encourager, and our 40+ year friendship with Bob and his marvelous wife Reba. The more we got to know Bob, the more we were amazed. And the deeper our various relationships with him grew. He was an unparalleled friend to both of us (and our two children as well – he presided at our daughter’s wedding, and became a special mentor/encourager to both her and our son.)
I could tell you about his founding role in Ozark Mountain Christian Church (which our church helped start as a ‘satellite’ church), and how the church membership exploded under his leadership, at first alone, and later with Shannon Kimsey.
I could tell you of a special 8 months of getting to interview Bob once a month on my radio show’s brief tenure . We covered topics from Nashville to spiritual growth and had quite a few good laughs as well.
But let me just share three special examples of his special talents and friendship.
Spiritual He gently introduced both Pat and me to the power of mindfulness and meditation as a way to strengthen our spiritual journeys. (His original humble words to Pat back in ’79 were so prophetic!) He did all this in a non-threatening, non-dogmatic way, and without a hint of distraction from our heritage and traditions in our church lives. We are both much better persons (we think) for having known Bob and listened to his ‘holy man’ stories, his meditation classes, and his participation in spiritual groups we were in.
Insight & Intuition Bob used to tell the story – in his classic humorous manner – about church members leaving his Sunday services. He said it wasn’t unusual to hear, “I especially enjoyed the part of your message where you said so-and-so.” He would then relate that he had never intended ‘so-and-so’ to be a part of his message. He would grin and call it “the power of God working through the sermon”. (He said that was part of the reason Jesus taught in parables.)
I will not question his insight on the power of God, of course. But I also gradually realized over the years that God had help from Bob, with his unbelievable ability to deliver a message that could be heard on a variety of levels. It seemed like his message always spoke to exactly where you were at that moment. What a rare gift!
Humor
There’s a reason Bob was so sought-after for his Emcee/Host roles over the years. (He hosted our joint 50th BD roast, and we are still laughing.) His humor was classic, and it was made more so by his ability to relate any story and/or punchline with an impeccable delivery. But his humor was not just ‘stage humor.’ He was always a delight to be around, and he would use his humor to amplify his always-upbeat nature. You couldn’t be around Bob, and not have a conversation that was ‘good for what ailed you.’
I don’t know why this one has stuck with me over the years, but I always share it as my favorite story of his:
He told of going into town one morning, and developing an intense ‘hankering’ for a bakery treat he knew wasn’t good for him. He decided to leave it up to God. If it was meant for him to indulge that day, there would be an open parking spot right in front of the bakery.
“Sure enough,” he would say, “on the twelve trip around the block . . . .”
I have still not done Bob justice, but that would take more space or time than perhaps any of us have. But those of you who knew Bob will know how much he will be missed.
Godspeed, Bob Hubbard! Tell Reba hello for us!
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