Robby Jay Tomlinson, 63, passed from this Earth on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL. All who knew and loved Robby – and Robby knew no strangers, so the list is long – are mourning the loss of the dearest friend, the most generous soul, and the silliest jokes. Family and closest friends are comforted to remember that his heart failed him in the end, only because he had spent his entire life giving bits of it away to everyone else.

Born October 16, 1961, at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley, IL, Robby was born to Robert and Dorothy Tomlinson as the youngest of five children whose lineage would grow into a large, fun-loving and God-fearing bunch. Robby was preceded in death by his parents and sister-in-law Toni Tomlinson, and is survived by his wife Jackie (Reimschisel), his son Gabriel (Esther) Tomlinson, his step sons Madison and Colton Herman, his brother Rocky Tomlinson, sister Bette (John) Michael, brother Randy (Marla) Tomlinson, sister Bonny (Chuck) Darrow, his nephews Michael (Enza), Eric (Bridget), Seth (Tara), Bart, and niece Danni (Coleman) Griffin, as well as many great nephews and nieces and innumerable extended family who mourn his death.

Robby and his wife Jackie (Reimschisel) met later in life and were an instant match, marrying on June 12, 2014. They spent their decade together sharing their love of Jesus, traveling with friends and enjoying the serendipities of everyday life. Robby was a devoted father to his son Gabe, raising a young man who values faith and family as deeply as Robby did. Following their marriage, Robby loved Jackie’s two sons, Madison and Colton Herman, as his own.

Raised in Washburn, IL, Robby was a farm-boy to the core. He and his siblings were confident they could dig their way to China, even lining the walls of their tunnel with scraps of linoleum. Robby became an active member of the 4H and FFA, who dearly loved to drive tractors, work the farm and show his cattle.

Even as a young man, Robby was known for his jokes and pranks. Among the many memories, one that stands out is when Robby and two of his closest high school friends decided the parking cones at the Illinois State Fair would make suitable costumes, not unlike the 1970s “Coneheads” on Saturday Night Live. Little did the boys know that a state police officer watched every step of their antics and ultimately, at the direction of law enforcement, the three orange cones did not go on their heads, but instead went back on the pavement.

Robby graduated from Lowpoint-Washburn High School, class of 1979. He then moved to Indiana to be a herdsman for the Penny Purdue Farm, where he continued his love for agriculture and livestock. Robby’s commitment to service and general willingness to “figure it out along the way” was life-long, continuing to work odd-jobs and catering events into his retirement.

Inspired to share his love of learning and provide a strong male representation in education, Robby embraced his natural ‘child at heart’ and enrolled as a non-traditional student at Eureka College, graduating with his degree in elementary education in 1987 and was handed his diploma by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Robby went on to teach at Riverview Elementary in Spring Bay and Davenport Elementary in Eureka. Robby’s classrooms were a safe space for students, balancing a zest for life and joy for learning with the work ethic and tenacity required for success. Robby carried those same values into his role as a school administrator, serving as Assistant Principal at Eureka Middle School and Principal at El Paso-Gridley Middle School before his retirement in 2022. 

Robby’s retirement allowed him to return to his farm roots, where he was an invaluable member of the team at 19 by 1950 Family Farm and later Farm Family Foods in Benson. Robby relished in getting his hands dirty in the soil and was helping to build a sustainable, local food system to benefit both farmers and rural communities.

Robby’s commitment to a life of service was exemplified in his membership of and service to the Bethany Community Church, where he and Jackie have been members since 2013 and have helped lead the hospitality and newcomer ministry since 2017. Despite his big personality and love of a good party, Robby was a quiet and constant witness about the role faith played in his life and the value it would bring to others. Robby never missed a chance to invite someone to church.

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