Robert James Hennessey

Robert “Bob” James Hennessey, 80, of Quincy, Illinois, passed away on Saturday, May 3, 2026, at his home with his family at his side.

Bob was born November 2, 1945, in Quincy to John and Margaret (Foley) Hennessey. He graduated from Quincy Notre Dame High School in 1963 and shortly after enlisted in the United States Navy, serving four years aboard the USS Forrestal during a deployment to the Mediterranean.

After his honorable discharge in 1967, Bob returned to Quincy and began a career at Quincy Compressor that would span 41 years. He started on the floor as a machinist and worked his way up to second-shift foreman, retiring in 2008. Coworkers remembered him for the quiet way he’d show a new hire a better way to set up a job — never embarrassing anyone, just “Try it this way next time.”

Bob married Linda Marie Schroeder at St. Peter Catholic Church on October 12, 1968. They raised three children — Jeffrey, Karen, and Christopher — in a tidy ranch house on 36th Street.

A man of small, steady pleasures

Bob loved his family, his country, the St. Louis Cardinals, a Friday-night fish fry at the K of C, and a careful row in his vegetable garden. He coached Knights of Columbus youth baseball for fourteen seasons and was a quiet, generous volunteer at the Quincy VA outpatient clinic for the last decade of his life.

Survived by

Bob is survived by his wife of 57 years, Linda; three children, Jeffrey (Stacy) Hennessey of Quincy, Karen (Brian) Mulligan of Springfield, and Christopher (Amanda) Hennessey of Hannibal, Missouri; nine grandchildren; and his brother Daniel Hennessey of Quincy. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Mary Hennessey Lawler.

Services

Visitation will be held Wednesday, May 7, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Bennett Funeral Home, 418 Maine Street, Quincy. A funeral Mass will follow on Thursday, May 8, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church. Burial with military honors will be at Quincy National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in Bob’s name may be made to the Quincy VA outpatient clinic or to the Knights of Columbus Council 583.

The Hennessey family is in the care of Bennett Funeral Home.