PADUCAH, Ky. - Father Bob Willett was the pastor at St. Francis de Sales in Paducah from June of 1989 until June of 1997. During those years he touched the lives of so many individuals and families. Here are some of the memories of Father Bob that several parishioners shared with me.

"... my remembrances of Father Bob: TEC...QUEST...KONINONIA at St. Francis, his laugh, his smile, homilies which I always felt were directed toward me and my life situations, helping me understand why my 18 year old daughter was pulling away from the church of her birth, being with me and my children during the ordeal of losing our husband and father, sharing his trips to the Holy Land with my fifth graders, praying for St. Mary Elementary School at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, parish council meetings, church picnics, retreats, meals, sharing his love of the Catholic religion with my students, watching him portray Jesus at the Last Supper during Holy Week, his last homily and Mass at St. Francis when he told us he was leaving, seeing him at the St. Mary High School basketball games, his blue Honda, his truck, his rabbits, his dad and farming, Fancy Farm, being a priest, being a great confessor." - Molliann England

"I remember Father Bob as a kind and compassionate person to everyone he met and also he was kind to animals. His homilies really hit home, they made me think," - Christine Quigley

"Father Bob started TEC in the Owensboro Diocese. He was so good with kids. He would take as many young kids as he could fit into his car and off they would go, usually someplace out in nature. The kids truly loved him. He made the scriptures come alive for them. He liked to use "visual aids" with the kids but also in his homilies...Another memory I have of him is of his rabbits or bunnies, as he called them. He loved to talk you into taking one of his bunnies but he usually would give one of the females that had already been bred so that soon you had a cage full of bunnies. He also would bring his special "fried chicken" to the frequent St. Francis potlucks." - Brenda Hayden

"Father Bob didn’t preach...he would involve himself in whatever problem or situation he was talking about. I would take notes during his homilies, so I could review them later and think about the message. He was a gentle person; I never saw him angry. He seemed tireless, he worked on many TEC and Koinonia weekends, sometimes at the last minute when no other priest was available. He had a talent for bringing out people’s gifts and talents. I loved him very much," - Ed Puschaver

"I met Father Bob in 1991 through a friend. I felt so comfortable abound Father Bob that I was able to talk to him about myself and why I had been away from the church for 20 years. He was never judgmental and was so kind. I started to attend Mass at my children’s school. He listened to me but he didn’t tell me what I should be doing. Father Bob got me involved with things at church but never made me feel pressured. One time he asked me to talk to some of the older girls about what it means to be a Christian woman. That was difficult and I prayed a lot about what to say and how to say it. I am very involved in the church now and am so thankful and grateful for all of the support Father Bob gave me. He helped me so much spiritually.

"Father Bob kept his bunnies at my husband, David’s, and my place in an old barn. We kept noticing that sometimes there were lots of bunnies and then there would only be a few. David asked him what happened to the bunnies and Father Bob told him that he raised them to be eaten but he said, ‘Don’t tell Karen because she won’t like that.’

"One time he brought some barbecued rabbit to me but I couldn’t eat it. I put it in the freezer and it was there for over a year before I threw it away. When Father Bob was in the hospital I told him I had a confession to make. I threw the barbecued rabbit away because I couldn’t eat it. He just threw up his hands and laughed at me. Everyday when I am outside I think of him. He was such a kind-hearted person; he loved nature and he loved people. He was always giving away something that he felt another needed more than he needed it. He didn’t seem to keep much for himself. I will remember him always," - Karen Hogancamp

"We thought a lot about Father Bob; he was a very compassionate person and so kind. He had a way of letting you know how much he appreciated anything that you did or help that you gave. My husband, Roscoe, has been an Eucharist Minister for many years. Father Bob gave him a watch with a picture of St. Francis de Sales on the face of it to show his appreciation to Roscoe for all he had done. That watch is very special to him. Father Bob’s homilies were beautiful...always left you with something to think about," - Wanda Shoulta

"I will always remember Father Bob coming down the hall dressed in his jeans ready to go see about his rabbits. He would raise his shoulders and with a happy little smile and be on his way. He loved nature. He raised flowers from seeds and then would plant them in the flower boxes around the rectory. He was so easy-going; no matter what you asked him to do, he would always find a way to help. I remember so many good things about him. He was such a down-to-earth fellow," - Gladys Lambert , church receptionist.

"I spent a year in internship with Fr. Bob; it was a wonderful year. I looked to him as my mentor; he was a great influence on me as a young priest."

- Fr. Larry McBride, pastor of St. Francis de Sales

"When my wife, Frances, died, Fr. Bob wrote me a letter. It was the nicest letter I ever got. It made me feel like she was in heaven sitting on God’s lap." - Stan Walter

"I was on a Koinonia team with Fr. Bob; it was very special. He was a great pastor. He was with my uncle when he died. He read from 2 Corinthians 5-1, ‘For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven,' etc. I remember that passage, it was a great comfort to all of us."- Rita Walter

"Fr. Bob was very easy to work with, he had certain expectations but as long as you did your best that was all he expected. He brought Koinonia to our diocese; St. Francis held the first weekend. That weekend meant a lot to me, it brought a lot of healing to me. I think those weekends brought a lot of healing to the parish. Fr. Bob had a really neat sense of humor. He told me one time, ‘Don’t you wish everyone’s idiosyncrasies made as much sense as yours and mine?’ Fr. Bob was special to me; he touched me like few priests ever have." - Martha O’Neill

"One time I told Fr. Bob I wished we would have a fourth reading at Mass sometime. The next Mass we did have one and after Mass Fr. Bob came up to me and said, ‘Jack, that one was for you.' He was a special person." - Jack O’Neill

"Fr. Bob was very close to our family. I could go to him with my problems and he would always be a help to me; even after he left Paducah I would call him and he would help me. He spent every Christmas Eve with us. He would come after the Children’s liturgy, have dinner with us and then go back to St. Francis for Midnight Mass. After he moved, he called to apologize for missing Christmas Eve, he said it was too far to be able to make it. He did one of the readings for our daughter Carly’s wedding. She was very close to him and that meant a lot to her. Carly did not want to make a TEC and even though Fr. Bob had talked to her about it she did not go. For his graduation gift to her, he paid for her to go to TEC. She still didn’t want to go but did because of his gift to her. She really loved it and got a lot out of it."- Leslie Bassi

Hearing so many stories about Father Bob has taken me on my own trip down memory lane. Father Bob was an exceptional priest and an exceptional person who was loved and will be greatly missed by many many people.