Bob Brophy wanted people with disabilities to see life the way he did.
“He felt like he needed to show by example that, no matter what you’ve got going on physically, if you've got the right mindset, you can accomplish whatever you want,” said his daughter, Susan Thurman, 52, of Festus.
Mr. Brophy, who battled vision issues throughout his life, died Jan. 8 at age 84 of complications from pancreatic cancer.
He was the longtime food service director at Jefferson College, where the cafeteria bore his name for many years.
Mr. Brophy grew up in south St. Louis, one of five children raised by a single mother after their father died of a heart attack at age 45.
He and his sister were affected with juvenile macular degeneration, and began losing their central vision around age 10. In later life he also developed retinitis pigmentosa, which affects peripheral vision.
“He went to a Catholic school in the south city,” Susan said. “But he only went through his sophomore year, because they didn’t have the capability in those days to teach kids with vision problems.”
He went to work as a teenager through Missouri Rehab Services for the Blind.
“He worked at Lambert Pharmaceutical in north St. Louis, where they made Listerine,” Susan said. “He still had some peripheral vision then, so he loaded pallets and drove a fork lift.”
He grew friendly with one of the secretaries named Juanita, and soon they were more than friends. The two were married in 1958.
“He did mention one time that she had been his boss,” their daughter said with a laugh.
The Brophys, who also had a son after Susan, would enjoy more than 50 years of marriage before Juanita’s death in 2009.
“When the warehouse closed, my dad had a chance through Missouri Rehab to either go to another factory in northern Illinois, or to open the food service program at Jeffco,” Susan said. “He chose to move to Hillsboro in 1966, and he was there for 35 years.”
In 1972, the cafeteria, on the lower level of the Student Center, was renamed Brophy’s Place in his honor.
He was a common sight on other parts of the campus as well.
“When they opened the pool on campus, he took up swimming,” Susan said. “And the coach got him to start diving off the high dive.
“At the Villa Antonio winery last week, they gave my dad the Frank Roland Citizen of the year award (posthumously) from the (Greater) Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, and they were talking and laughing about that.”
Mr. Brophy could also be found tending his flowers.
“We both took master gardener classes,” his daughter said. “He started a huge rose garden at the college. He actually continued that love of gardening until this past summer.”
Mr. Brophy was one of the founders of the Fletcher House Foundation and its most recent president. He also was active with the Hillsboro Lions Club
“He loved nature and the outdoors, and he has been the backbone of the foundation,” Susan said. “He loved history and he loved music, especially classical music and film scores.”
His daughter said Mr. Brophy never lamented the fact that he was born too soon for educational opportunities now available for the blind.
“He said, ‘I’ve never been bitter,’” Susan said. “He spent decades mastering Braille, and signed up for the Braille books and recordings through Library of Congress.”
And he set about proving that blindness doesn’t have to set limits on a person’s life.
“My dad was the type of person who you never told there was something he couldn't do,” Susan said with a laugh. “Because he would prove you wrong.”
After he retired in 2002, Mr. Brophy decided to start taking classes.
Technology had caught up with him, in the form of specialized hardware and a variety of computer software programs.
He graduated summa cum laude alongside his grandson, Jason White, then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree – again summa cum laude – from Missouri Baptist University and a master’s degree in counseling at age 76.
“He wanted to counsel people who had physical handicaps, but he never got the chance,” Susan said. “He did an internship with Comtrea, but he never actually got to work in the field.”
But, she said, her father helped in other ways.
“He was like a mentor,” she said. “I couldn't tell you how many people at the funeral were saying, ‘He inspired me. If he can do all these things, I certainly can.’”
In December, Mr. Brophy went to the emergency room with abdominal pains, and his family was shocked when doctors diagnosed him with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“The oncologist said he had from six to nine months,” Susan said. “He said he normally wouldn’t recommend chemo for someone 84 years old, but that Dad was in such good shape he could tolerate it.”
But Mr. Brophy’s health abruptly declined, and a CT scan revealed the cancer had spread rapidly.
“We were talking with hospice,” Susan said. “We thought we had at least a week to get ready.”
Susan said her father will be remembered for his perseverance.
“He thought, you make the best of every situation and you never give up, no matter how hard your challenges are,” she said. “He was my go-to person for everything. This was the only thing in his life I've ever seen take him down.”
“Life Story,” posted each Saturday on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.