Robert Mansell Lancaster

Lancaster, Robert Mansell – age 89, of Knoxville, previously of Brentwood, Tennessee, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on Thursday, November 21, 2013. Robert was born January 13, 1924 in Greenville, Mississippi to parents Archie B. Lancaster, Sr. and Ruby Irene Lancaster. He grew up in Greenville and attended primary and high school there. As a young man he was drafted into the US Army and served in Italy near the end of World War II. After his release from the Army, he enrolled at Mississippi State College in Starkville, Mississippi, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. His jobs in civil engineering took him to Alaska and to French Morocco. Later jobs in the United States took him to Memphis, Tennessee, where he met his future wife, Virginia. Bob (as he was known to friends and family) began work with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and worked in Memphis, Jackson, and Nashville. Bob and Virginia loved to travel and have traveled extensively in the US and overseas. Their greatest enjoyment however, has come from their children, grandchildren, all other family members, and friends. Especially important in their lives was the church they attended wherever they lived and where they have made many lifelong friends. Bob was a member of Central Baptist Church Bearden at the time of his death. Bob’s other pastime enjoyments were photography, stamp and coin collecting, being an avid stamp collector. He was preceded in death by his parents, Archie and Ruby Lancaster; siblings, Marjorie Shepherd, Archie Lancaster, Jr., Stanley P. Lancaster, Marion Lancaster, and Joann Barge. Bob is survived by his wife, Mary Virginia Lancaster; daughters, Mary Colleen Lancaster, and Jennifer Mirts, husband Lynn; grandchildren, Emily Grace Mirts and Nathan Lynn Mirts; sisters, Dr. Colleen V. Lancaster and Leila R. Griffin; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Bob was a wonderful husband, daddy, and granddaddy. A memorial service will take place on Saturday at 1:30 pm at Central Baptist Church Bearden with Rev. Jeffrey Lancaster officiating. The family will then receive friends at Central Baptist Church Bearden starting around 2:30 pm. The interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Bob’s name to the Central Baptist Church Bearden’s Mission fund, 6300 Deane Hill Dr., Knoxville, TN 37919. Arrangements by Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel.

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Robert Mansell Lancaster

January 13, 1924 - November 21, 2013