Robert Tasby II

Robert Wayne Tasby II was born on October 28, 1984, in Denver, Colorado.  After an extended illness, he

passed away peacefully, surrounded and lovingly comforted by family and Pastor Bobby L. Love, on

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at Saint Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park, Kansas.  He was 40 years old.

The oldest of two children born to Phyllis (Brown) Tasby and Robert Tasby Sr., Robert Tasby II enjoyed

a very close sibling bond with his sister, Jehn-ai Tasby, the life-long love and support of his parents, and

close family ties with his cousins, aunts, uncles and friends.

Until he was age 5, when the family moved to Kansas, Robert II grew up in the suburb of Montebello and in

the city of Denver, Colorado.  Since he was born during the height of the iconic “Star Wars” space saga’s

popularity, Robert II was affectionately called “R2-D2”, by Jehn-ai. Family and friends later shortened his

nickname to “R2”.

As a proud and loving “big brother”, young R2 was very protective of his little sister (who is 2 years

younger); however, he was also an adventurous and inquisitive kid. Often, some of his childhood

explorations and escapades got him a sound spanking, such as when R2 put toddler Jehn-ai into the clothes

dryer to watch her spin. Fortunately, R2 quickly re-thought that idea, took her out, Jehn-ai survived and lived

to tell the tale.

One of R2’s earliest and fondest Colorado memories was captured in a sepia-tinted tourist costume photo,

taken after a snowmobile adventure when his cousin “Chip” and Aunt “Glo” Johnson took a ski trip to

Winter Park, CO.  As they posed for their photo session, “the notorious Tasby-Johnson Gang” tried to

maintain their “mean-mug”, Old West hard-luck facial expressions; however, they were betrayed by their

uncontrollable laughter.

R2’s early childhood development, however, began at Peppermint Patty’s Day Care (Shawnee, KS), where

his Aunt Jackie served as Director. Robert II also attended Blue Jacket Elementary School, Heartland

Elementary School, Harmony Middle School, and he graduated from Blue Valley Northwest High School in

the Class of 2003. He later attended Johnson County Community College where he pursued an associate’s

degree.

Through his childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, R2 developed and displayed a mechanical

aptitude and a Jedi-like focus on his youthful hobby of assembling complex Lego pieces— such as his R2-

D2, Optimus Prime, Ghost Buster car, and Back-To-The-Future Lego car. He delighted in his life-long

passion for playing “Star Wars” and other video games for hours on end with his friends. He even converted

one of the family’s spare bedrooms into a digital “game” room.

R2 also enjoyed cooking, and he became an amateur chef, developing his specialties (Shepherd’s Pie and

various soups and desserts). The only problem was that R2 cooked as if for an army instead of just for his

parents, sister and himself.

During R2’s early twenties to thirties, he worked at Hy-Vee grocery store, Radio Shack, Quiznos, Sprint

Corporation, and T-Mobile. He was a witty, funny conversationalist, whose astute computer technology skills

and gregarious personality proved to be the perfect personal attributes and skill-set for his five (5) years of

employment at the Easy Cash ASAP Call Center.  R2 was employed there until he became too ill to work.

Robert Tasby II accepted Christ as a young child and was baptized at the Eighth Street Baptist Church

(KCK), under the pastorship of the late Rev. T. Maynard Preston. He was spiritually nurtured during his

active participation in the Sunbeams and Junior Laymen programs.

After a few years of living the bachelor life, R2 decided to move back home with his parents who

welcomed and embraced their prodigal son with open arms, and emotional and spiritual support.  His return

home proved to be part of God’s divine design for his later life when R2 needed more self-discipline, as well

as spiritual re-direction and guidance from his parents.  The loving environment of the Tasby home enabled

him to navigate through the biggest challenge of his life — when, at age 38, R2 he was diagnosed with Stage

Four Kidney Failure.

Both parents embraced the opportunity to minister to their son’s life, by educating him and themselves on

preparing kidney-healthy diets and following proper protocols for his Peritoneal Dialysis. R2 and his parents

underwent extensive kidney training, conducted by a team of doctors, nurses, dieticians, social workers and

insurance coordinators at Davita Nall Center.

Throughout both the progressive and end-stage phases of his health and spiritual journeys, as he battled

depression and intense pain, R2 was buffeted by the spiritual warfare weapons of prayer, meditation, and

Scriptural verses, activated by his parents and close family members.  For the last two (2) years of his life,

R2 struggled to keep working during the day while he was undergoing nightly self-administered dialysis as

he slept; however, he also found solace and great encouragement in the “Family Game Night” (playing

“Spoons”) which his parents hosted as emotional therapy for him.

Despite various family interventions and other promising alternative dialysis treatments, R2 developed

calciphylaxis, a rare life-threatening and intensely painful condition often seen in people with end-stage

kidney disease.   After a brief hospitalization and rehabilitation, R2 succumbed to its resulting fatal sepsis,

and he was cremated.

R2’s abbreviated but amazingly blessed life is celebrated with his April 26 th Memorial Service, conducted

by Rev. Dr. Bobby L. Love at the Tasby family’s church home, the Second Baptist Church of Olathe, KS.

R2 was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents:  Henry Tasby, Sr. and Betty (Williams) Tasby Jones

(of North Carolina), his step-father, Jimmy Jones and Uncle Edward Tasby, as well as, by his maternal

grandparents:  Ruth Moore Brown and Walter Brown (of Kansas City, KS), his Uncle Walter Earl Brown, his

Aunt Jacquelyn (Brown) Williams — and most recently, his Uncle Jerry E. Brown, who died just 12 days

after R2’s passing.

He leaves to cherish his memory both of his parents:  Phyllis (Brown) Tasby and Robert Wayne Tasby Sr.

(Overland Park, KS); his sister, Jehn-ai Tasby (Independence, MO); five (5) aunts:  Gloria E. (Brown)

Johnson of KCK; Marjorie Brown (Willie) Miller of Overland Park, KS; Delores Brown-Johnson of Surprise

(AZ); widowed aunts Lillie (Walter) Brown (KCK), Faye (Edward) Tasby, and three (3) uncles:

Ronald M. Brown of Roeland Park (KCK); Henry Jr. and Joseph Tasby (both of Houston, TX); step-aunt

Lillian McPherson and step-uncle Michael Wilson (both of San Antonio, TX).

R2 will also be sorely missed by a host of cousins (the Tasby, Johnson, Brown, Williams, Miller, Holmes,

Brooks, Moore, Horton, Barber, and Britt families) and by his closest friends.