The World has said Goodbye to a Magnificent Man, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, Son, Brother, and Friend to so many.

Robert Parker McBean of Prairie Village, Kansas, drew his last breath on June 17, 2026, at the age of 87, after having a stroke on June 9, 2026, with his wife, daughter, and two sons by his side.

Bob was born to Parker and Mabel (nee Gauthier) McBean on May 6, 1939, in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, and resided in the house built by Parker for two years before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where his two brothers, Gordon Almon and Edward Arthur, were born. Bob would grow to be skilled in woodworking and carpentry, the professions held by Parker.

Bob attended Queen Elizabeth Elementary School and Lord Byng Junior and Senior High Schools in Vancouver. He graduated in the spring of 1958. Bob had an incredibly rich and rewarding career. Early on, he delivered newspapers from his bicycle, making sure each newspaper landed on each porch, made deliveries for Hudson’s Bay, and repaired telephones for the Canadian Telephone Company from 1956 to 1958. It was during this time that Bob was in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1955 to 1960, having reached the rank of Aircraftsman 2nd Class to Sergeant. He attended the University of British Columbia and earned his Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering on May 24, 1962, and earned his Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering in November 1965. Intermingled with his studies and his early work, Bob worked for Peter Kiweitt Sons Canada, Ltd. in 1961 and HA Simons International (now AMEC) from 1962 to 1963. Bob continued in service to Canada as a Second Lieutenant in the Canadian Army from 1963 to 1965.

The years 1962-1965 saw huge and wonderful changes for Bob. At an engineering party, a particular woman caught his eye, and he proceeded to introduce himself by dumping ice down the back of her dress. That woman was Marilyn Elizabeth Cumming. He eventually proposed, she said yes, and they were married on June 30, 1962. Their first child, Christine Michelle, was born on April 10, 1963, in Vancouver, and their second child, Kenneth Robert, was born on June 27, 1965, in Vancouver. Bob, Marilyn, Christy, and Ken made the move to California in 1965.

From 1965 to 1968, Bob worked toward his Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering at Stanford. While at Stanford, he worked for John A Blume Associates in 1966 and as a Research Assistant in 1967 and an instructor in 1967 for Stanford University. Bob’s PhD was conferred on September 26, 1968. While in California, Bob and Marilyn welcomed their third child, Scott Douglas, born March 4, 1967, in Palo Alto. After earning his doctorate, the family moved to Columbia, Missouri. From 1968 to 1971, Bob was an Assistant Professor, and from 1971 to 1974, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri’s flagship public land-grant research university. Bob earned the Faculty-Alumni Award from the Alumni Association of the University of Missouri-Columbia. In 1974, the family of five made their final move.

A truly global engineering career for Bob started when Bob and his family moved to Overland Park, Kansas, in 1974. Bob began a 30-year career with Black & Veatch. Positions held were Structural Consultant in 1974, Supervisor, Structural Analysis Section from 1974 to 1986, Department Head, Civil/Structural/Geotechnical Department from 1986 to 1996, Project Manager and Department Head, Los Angeles Diamond Valley Reservoir Project from 1994 to 1996, Department Head, Hydropower from 2001 to 2003, and Structural Specialist, Hydraulic Structures from 1996 to 2004. Bob was a Partner with Black & Veatch from January 1992 to December 1998. When Black & Veatch converted to an employee-owned company, Bob was named a Vice President in 1999, until he retired on June 30, 2004. Bob had the following professional memberships: National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Missouri Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), following the progression of Student, Associate, Member, Fellow, and Life. He was also a member of Sigma Xi. Bob was a licensed engineer in over a dozen states, most with reciprocity. He traveled to over 70 countries. Skyscrapers, office complexes, bridges, roads, dams, reservoirs, power plants, and many other projects around the world saw millions of people benefit from his work. Bob had a particular specialty for building in seismic areas and, interestingly, in the very early days in California, he was on a team that conducted sonic boom studies on the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Bob became a Naturalized Citizen of the United States of America on January 15, 1987.

Bob had an impeccable work ethic and integrity. He was curious and creative. He was a blessing as a Husband and Dad. Bob and Marilyn loved to dance – they called it jive! Being so academically geared his entire life, Bob was always there to help Christy, Ken, and Scott with homework and school projects. Our family never wanted for anything. Dad provided beautiful homes in Columbia and Overland Park. The family greatly enjoyed the condo and boat Bob and Marilyn had for a time at the Lake of the Ozarks. Bob and the family scoured the countryside with the travel trailer or the tent, exploring on many vacations from Mexico to Canada to visit family there and see more of the country in addition to points all over the United States. He loved our family’s longtime Scottish Terrier, Bonnie Jean, as well as the dogs in the homes of Christy, Ken, and Scott. Bob coached and attended myriad sports games of their kids, and Bob and Marilyn attended many school band concerts. Bob was athletic himself. In his early days, he was involved in gymnastics and played rugby. He liked to swim, bicycle, golf, play tennis, and play hockey for the Black & Veatch company team! Very active interests for Bob were photography, genealogy, geography, reading, stamp collecting, coin collecting, crossword puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles. He knew French and had some knowledge of the Russian language. He was adept at writing, drawing, and painting. Bob and Marilyn took 26 ocean cruises and five European riverboat cruises. A real joy for Bob was his 1976 Triumph TR6 sports car, and, along with Marilyn, he had a long membership in the Kansas City Triumphs Sports Car Club, where he was the director from 1990 to 1993. A prime mover in Bob’s life, which started in the mid-1990s and went on for nearly 30 years, was his HO-scale model railroad that had a footprint nearly the size of their basement. Bob’s paternal grandfather, Robert John McBean, worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Bob wanted steam and diesel locomotives, and he wanted to pay tribute to his grandfather and Vancouver and the surrounding areas. He modeled 1950s-era Canadian Pacific Railway steam and diesel locomotives and called his layout Gastown after the early name for Vancouver. Gastown gave Bob the opportunity to bring together genealogy, geography, history, creativity, design, engineering, construction, and building models (many from scratch). He was in several Kansas City model railroad clubs, and Gastown gave countless hours of fun and learning for Dad, grandkids, the rest of the family, neighbors, friends, and fellow model railroad aficionados. Gastown was a work of art.

Survivors include Marilyn, Christy (Michael) of Overland Park, Kansas, Ken (Nan) of Raleigh, North Carolina, Scott (Lynda) of Olathe, Kansas, nine grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren with one on the way, his brothers Gordon (Patricia) and Edward (Leslie), and many cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Parker and Mabel McBean. Being married for 64 years, Bob and Marilyn's marriage provides an example of love, devotion, understanding, forgiveness, respect, trust, compromise, support, nurturing, and communication. A Heartbeat and A Twinkle in the Eye--those are what Bob and Marilyn were to each other.

The family wishes to thank the following for their care of Bob: The Prairie Village Fire Department, Johnson County MED-ACT, the ER and ICU at Menorah Medical Center, Kansas City Hospice House on Wornall Road, the people of the Cremation Center of Kansas City, Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, and the American Legion Post 153. Bob and Marilyn were members of the Cure of Ars parish since 1974.

Bob will forever be missed. He never stopped learning. He always considered himself first and foremost a Teacher. Bob was giving, caring, kind, brilliant, industrious, humorous, and loved beyond measure. The one comment everyone has always made about Bob was how his smile was magnetic.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Bob at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Immanuel Bible Church at 6601 Monticello Road, Shawnee, Kansas 66226. A private urn Committal Service will be at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery.