Roberta “Bobbie” Ann Quatrocky

Roberta Ann “Bobbie” Quatrocky passed quietly on the afternoon of August 12, surrounded by family and her devoted caretakers in the comfort of her own home. She had recently celebrated her 97th birthday.

Bobbie was born June 27, 1929, to Alice and Orville Taflinger in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up in Independence, where her parents ran a small restaurant and beer joint called “The Shack” at 11305 Truman Road.

After Orville died in 1939, Alice ran the restaurant on her own until her death in 1979. During the booming World War II years, The Shack welcomed workers from Armco Steel, Lake City Armaments, General Motors, and countless other factories operating around the clock, seven days a week. Bobbie grew up surrounded by customers from every walk of life. It was quite an education, and perhaps the beginning of the sharp mind, independence, and remarkable understanding of people that would define her throughout her life.

Alice worked hard to ensure that Bobbie and her sister, Patricia, attended Colorado Women’s College. Never one to follow an ordinary path, Bobbie learned to fly small planes and trained as an X-ray technician. She was fiercely intelligent, endlessly curious, and, as her family would tell you without hesitation, quite simply the smartest woman they ever knew.

Bobbie married Fred Joseph Quatrocky on October 7, 1950, and they began their family in 1952. Cecelia, Fred, and Stephen were born and raised in her family home.

Family was at the center of Bobbie’s life. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, niece, grandmother, great-grandmother, and neighbor. Throughout her life, she cared for her grandparents, in-laws, mother, and aunts, all while raising her own family. Taking care of the people she loved wasn’t something Bobbie talked about, it was simply what she did. In doing so, she set an example that carried forward to her children, who gladly cared for her when it became her turn to need them. Her son Stephen was her daily rock after her husband, Fred, died in 2019.

Bobbie also knew her own mind. She was independent, strong-willed, and determined to choose her own path in life, and she did. She lived on her terms, loved her family fiercely, and was never shy about telling those around her exactly what she thought.

After Fred’s retirement, Bobbie and Fred traveled frequently and especially loved ocean cruises, where she enjoyed meeting people—including fellow smokers—from all over the world.

Until recently, Bobbie remained engaged with the world around her. She followed the Chiefs and Royals, closely monitored the financial markets, and freely dispensed financial, relationship, and life advice to anyone fortunate enough to visit. Her mind remained one of her greatest gifts, matched only by her devotion to her family.

At 97, Bobbie had, of course, said goodbye to many people she loved over the course of a very long life, including her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. In recent years, she especially missed her beloved sister Patricia; her husband, Fred; her daughter, Cecelia; and many of her lifelong Perry Street neighbors. Bobbie looked forward to being reunited with them.

She is survived by her sons, Stephen and Fred; daughter-in-law, Judy; grandchildren, Christopher Hudson, Sara Quatrocky, and Adam Quatrocky; and great-grandson, Anthony Quatrocky. She will also be deeply missed by dozens of nieces, nephews, past and present neighbors, friends, and others whose lives she touched during her 97 remarkable years.

Bobbie spent a lifetime caring for her family, thinking for herself, and choosing the life she wanted to live. She leaves behind generations who are stronger because of her, who learned from her, and who will continue to tell her stories.