Robert "Bobby" L. Heiser

Robert "Bobby" L. Heiser, Jr. age 73, of Hannibal, MO passed away at 1:01 am Wednesday, February 10, 2021, at Hannibal Regional Hospital.  

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00 am Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at Holy Family Catholic Church. Fr. Matthew Flatley and Fr. Mike Quinn will officiate. Private family burial will be in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery on Thursday, February 18, 2021.

Visitation celebrating Bobby's life will be held 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at the Holy Family Catholic Church.

Those in attendance at the visitation and service will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing.

The service will be live streamed on the Smith Funeral Home & Chapel Facebook page starting a few minutes before the service on Wednesday.  The service will also be able to be viewed under Bobby's obituary on his memorial page at www.smithfuneralhomeandchapel.com on Wednesday afternoon.

The Heiser family is being served by the Smith Funeral Home & Chapel of Hannibal.

Bobby was born on September 19, 1947, in Hannibal, Missouri the son of Robert "Doc" and Heiress (Frese) Heiser, Sr.

He was united in marriage to Donna Matson on February 10, 1979, at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Hannibal.  They would have celebrated forty two years of marriage on the date of his death.

Survivors included wife, Donna Heiser of Hannibal; sister, Judy Heiser Pratt (Carl) of Shreveport, LA; brothers-in-law, Larry Matson (Pam) of New London, MO and Dale Matson (Janet) of Hannibal, MO; aunt, Florence Lampton of Hannibal, MO; nieces and nephews, Jay Ossman (Marti), Julie Yeolwell (Darren), Joel Ossman, Tiffanie Hof (Steve), Tracie Hark (John), Enoch Matson (Michelle), Erin Matson and Geri Powell; great nieces and nephews, Robert, Jackson, Hudson, Connor, Caden, Hallie, Evan, Logan, Chase, Audrey, Gillian, Michael and Nora; longtime employee, Lisa Willett and all the Crescent Jewelry Company employees, present and past families; and his furry children at home "Moochie" & "Trudie".

In addition to his parents, Mr. Heiser was preceded in death by his father and mother-in-law, Robert and Dorothy Matson and his furry children, "Heidi", "Lucky" and "Noel".

Bobby graduated from Hannibal High School in 1965, and went on to play football on a scholarship at Kalamazoo. He later transferred to Culver - Stockton College in Canton, MO, where he was a member of the Sigma Pi Epsilon Fraternity and graduated in 1969 with BS degree.

Bobby was the owner and operator of Crescent Jewelry Company, one of Hannibal's oldest existing businesses since 1842.  Bobby had worked at Crescents for over 66 years.  When he was a little boy his dad made him a box he could stand on to polish jewelry.  Crescent Jewelry Company has served generations of families in Hannibal and across the United States.  As a premier jeweler, Bobby was a member of the Retail Jewelers Organization, Missouri Jewelers and Watch Making Association and Jewelers of America. In 1996, Crescents was awarded the "Missouri Main Street Merchant of the Year" and just this past year Crescents was awarded "The Best Jewelry Store" by Missouri Life Magazine.  Bobby was known by his employees as a Gem and he knew his staff as the Jewels of the business.

During his high school days, Bobby was an outstanding Center for the Hannibal Pirates.  This love for the game and other sports was something Bobby talked about daily with family and friends.  Bobby was a longtime season ticket holder at Porter Stadium and in his younger years was a referee for several area football games and volleyball games.  Bobby also enjoyed attending St. Louis Cardinal games and Mizzou football games with his family and friends.

Bobby's love for Hannibal did not stop when he stepped out of Crescents.  Bobby was a founding member of the Hannibal YMen's and was very instrumental in establishing Mud Volleyball during Tom Sawyer Days.  Bobby was a very active member of the Hannibal Lions Club where he served in various capacities throughout the years with being "Tail Twister" as his most enjoyable.  He was always eager to prepare his famous baked beans for the annual pork steak dinner.  He was a past member of the Hannibal Elks, past Commodore of the Hannibal Boat Club and past member of the Hannibal Country Club.  In 2008, Mr. Heiser was elected as the Marion County Eastern Commissioner and served until 2012.  Bobby also served for several years on the Hannibal Board of Public Works.  Bobby's love and dedication to Hannibal and Hannibal Chamber of Commerce put him as the recipient of the 2018 Pacesetter Award.  This was something that Bobby cherished and was very honored to receive.

Everyone that had the pleasure of knowing Bobby will always cherish his gracious smile, storytelling and jokes that he was always eager to share.  

Bobby's was able to pass on his gift of sight to help someone in need by donation through Saving Sight.

Robert was a member of  Holy Family Catholic Church.

Pallbearers will be Larry Lampton, John Hark, Joe Frese, Joel Booth, Robbie Ferrel and Steve Hof.
Honorary pallbearers will be Bobby's nieces and nephews

Memorial contributions may be made to Cuddle Cat Rescue or the Bobby Heiser Memorial Scholarship C/O Donna Heiser, in care of the Smith Funeral Home & Chapel.

Online condolences and stories may be shared with the family and video tribute viewed on Bobby's memorial page at www.smithfuneralhomeandchapel.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Robert "Bobby" L. Heiser, please visit our floral store.