William Robert Bowling, II, "Rob" (formerly of Rolla, MO) died from complications related to bipolar disease on May 11, 2021, at Saint Luke's Hospice House in Kansas City, MO.

Rob was born on November 28, 1970 in Rolla, MO. He immediately filled our lives with joy, happiness, laughter and wonderful chaos. Rob graduated from Rolla High School in 1989, then attended the University of MO-Columbia.

Rob is survived by his parents, Sandra Creamer Bowling and Bob and Linda Bowling, in addition to his parents he is survived by his sister, Leisa Bowling Stevens, her husband Anthony and his adored nephew, Will, and, many others.

whose lives he touched as he made his journey through life. Rob's loss is deeply felt. Rob is preceded in death by his Gram and Papa, Vivian Aaron Creamer and Bill Creamer, grandparents W.A. and Marge Bowling, and Edna and Jim Minnick. And, Whitney Houston, Rob's favorite singer!

Rob's remains will be taking a Space X rocket into the endless universe of deep space. Anyone who truly knew Rob, knows there is no more fitting destination for him to rest.

To quote Captain James Kirk (who was quoting Dickens), from Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn: "It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before. A far better resting place that I go to than I have ever known."

A celebration of life will be held in Rolla, in the coming weeks.

The birth of Rob was such a gift. It was a miracle. It was amazing. It changed our lives. We knew from that date forward; we would protect him from all enemies. It never occurred to us that the enemy would be mental illness, and that, despite the absolute best efforts of those who loved Rob, there would be very little we could do to help.

Anyone who suffers from a mental illness, or loves someone who does, knows the difficulty of speaking publicly about it. Stigma, misconceptions and prejudice surround mental illness. Unless you have struggled with, or have a mental illness, you tend to think of it as a character flaw. Rob had a mental illness called bipolar disease. The way we speak of people and their illnesses affects not only the individual and their families, but also how the illness is treated. Rob suffered needlessly from the fear, ignorance and hurtful attitudes of those on the outside looking in. He was dismissed and ignored by many in the medical profession.

Our society does not adequately provide the resources that are required to understand and treat mental illness, and the inevitable complications. Rob wanted all of the things we all want, to love and be loved, to be successful, to travel, to experience life to the fullest, and to find peace in his life. Rob fought hard for 30+ years to be healthy, to manage his illness, to be productive and do good things. He was loyal to a fault, he was an expert on space, movies, music, politics and everything tech. He was our son. He was my little brother. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with bipolar disease, only half receive treatment. Eleven million Americans suffer from serious mental illness at any one time. The American health system does not treat mental illness and substance abuse like any other illness. Insurance companies do not cover meaningful therapy or treatment. And, as seen in Missouri, the Legislature does not value the health and welfare of the "others" in our society. Please make a point to be compassionate to those struggling with mental illness, just as you support those with heart disease, cancer or any other illness.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations in Rob's name to:

Saint Luke's Home Care & Hospice                         Valley Hope Atchison, KS

               3516 Summit Street                                                1816 N. 2nd Street                                 Kansas City, MO 64111                                            Atchison, KS 66002

       www.saintlukesgiving.org/donation-form                          www.valleyhope.org