Robert Plaster's Obituary
Robert Wayne Plaster, son of Robert Osborn and Elsie L. Honeycutt Plaster, was born September 3, 1930, in Kansas City, Missouri. He departed this life Saturday, October 11, 2008, in his home, in Evergreen, Missouri, near Lebanon, at the age of seventy-eight years, one month, and eight days. On February 14, 1951, he was united in marriage to Mary Jean Richards, and to this union three daughters and one son were born. His parents preceded him in death. Robert is survived by his wife, Jean, of the home; a son, Stephen Plaster, of Lebanon, Missouri; three daughters, Cheryl Plaster Schaefer, Tammy Plaster Brown, and her husband, Rick, and Dolly Plaster Clement, and her husband, Thomas, all of Lebanon, Missouri; nine grandchildren, Sarah Carney, and her husband, Jason, Doug, Samantha, and Rex Schaefer, Danielle and Michael Plaster, Jackson Brown, Gregory and Eric Clement; one great-grandchild, Kloee Carney, and one expected great-grandchild; a sister, Barbara Shewmake, of Nashville, Tennessee; several nieces and nephews; a cousin, Tom Plaster, of Lenexa, Kansas; as well as a host of other relatives and many, many friends. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and was raised in the Neosho, Missouri area. He was graduated from Neosho High School, and attended Missouri Southern State University. He served his country faithfully in the United States Army National Guard for several years. In 1963, he founded Empire Gas Corporation in Lebanon, and it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1971. He remained as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer until divestiture in 1996. Among the impressive list of corporations he has founded and served over as Chairman of the Board are: Evergreen Investments, LLC, Empire Pipeline Corporation, Evergreen National Corporation, Empire Ranch, Inc., Champion Brands, LLC, and Evergreen Exploration. He had served on the Board of Directors of UMB Financial Corporation, in Kansas City, Missouri, and Students In Free Enterprise in Springfield, Missouri, where he also was on the Executive Committee. He was a former President of Missouri State University Foundation in Springfield, was a Board Trustee for the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri, for twenty-five years, retiring in 2003, and for Southwest Baptist University Foundation, in Bolivar, Missouri. He was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the Lebanon Kiwanis Club, where he had served as President, Hickory Hills Country Club in Springfield, the Turnberry Yacht and Racquet Club in Miami, Florida, and the Kansas City Club, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the former director of National LP-Gas Association, and Sharon Steel Corporation. He was a 32nd Degree Mason with the Laclede County Lodge # 83 A.F. & A.M. of Lebanon, and was a Shriner with the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Temple in Springfield. He was affiliated with the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Joplin, Missouri, and the York Rite in St. Louis. Robert was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Missouri. He had received an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Degree from Southwest Baptist University, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Missouri Southern State University. Among his many philanthropic endeavors were funding buildings on the campuses of The College of the Ozarks, Missouri State University, Southwest Baptist University, Crowder College, Missouri Southern State University, and Students in Free Enterprise. He possessed a great love of music and had pianos in his offices and in many rooms of his home. In his spare time he also enjoyed hunting and fishing on his ranch. Robert will be long remembered as a loving family man, a dedicated and hardworking businessman, and a caring and giving supporter of education throughout the Southwest area. We celebrate his life and his many accomplishments and know that his legacy will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. Services will be held at 2:00 pm Tuesday October 14, 2008 at the Holman- Howe Funeral Home Lebanon. Entombment will be in the Plaster Family Mausoleum. Visitation will be Monday evening 7-9:00 pm at the funeral home under the direction of the Holman- Howe Funeral Home Lebanon, Missouri. A memorial has been established to the Students In Free Enterprise and donations may be made through the funeral home. Return to top
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