Robert Leslie “Bob” Pillow Sr. will always be remembered as a great farmer, but his dedication and service to the community and to his family extended far beyond crops in the field, others said today.
Mr. Pillow, 91, of Greenwood, died Saturday at his home.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. at the church.
Mr. Pillow, one of the founders of Pillow Academy, had many interests.
“I saw Uncle Bob as a businessman as much as a farmer,” nephew Walter Pillow said. “He was very interested in the stock market and kept abreast of it.
“I was working for him when I was 15 years old. He gave me $100 worth of television and electronics stock. I still have that stock today,” Walter Pillow said.
For Mr. Pillow’s 85th birthday, Walter Pillow made a copy of the stock statement and attached a $100 bill to it. “I told him, ‘I’m giving you the seed money, but I’m keeping the proceeds,’” Walter Pillow said jokingly.
Walter Pillow said his uncle’s influence and input had been a blessing.
Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams, also a longtime member of Nativity, said he was “a wonderful person” she had known for a long time.
“He was community-minded,” she said. “He raised wonderful children to be the same way.”
Mr. Pillow, the son of Helen Durden and Walter Reese Pillow of Greenwood, was the youngest of six children. He attended Greenwood High School, where he was a football star and was named Most Valuable Player during his senior year.
The next year, at the age of 17, he played fullback for Mississippi State University. One year later, he enrolled in the Naval Officer Training School. He continued to display his football talent at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during his officer training.
In 1942, Mr. Pillow served in with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, but the war ended before he could see actual combat.
He returned to Mississippi State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He married Mary Ann Critz in April 1945 and began farming with his brother, Bill. A few years later, he started farming on his own.
Walter Pillow said his uncle loved hunting and fishing and “enjoyed people.” He also was a devoted fan of the Pillow Academy football team.
As a farmer, Mr. Pillow practiced irrigation and land-forming (shaping and contouring the land to prevent irrigation runoff) long before they became common practices, Walter Pillow said.
“He was a big inspiration to me growing up. I’ll miss him,” Walter Pillow said.
Mr. Pillow was a member of the Greenwood Investment Club, the Lions Club and the Mississippi Republican Party. He is survived by three children and seven grandchildren.
A private interment is planned.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
