Burdina Rosalie (Root) Bobbitt

A Life Well Lived

Please join us in celebrating a unique person who had a powerful impact on many lives as we remember her at 10:30 AM on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at:

Outreach Restoration Branch

723 S. Crysler Ave.

Independence, MO 64052

Born: January 22, 1929 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri

Died: May 13, 2026 in Independence, Missouri

Burdina had a verve and passion to live her life to the fullest measure. What were her passions? Well, she was an outstanding actress who could mesmerize a theater audience. Burdina had a leading role in just about every play she was in, in community theatres, in Houston where she grew up, at Graceland (Lamoni, Iowa) where there were 600 students, and at the University of Texas in Austin where there were 40,000 students.

At Graceland, they asked the student body who should represent them as “The Spirit of Graceland,” and they all said, “Burdina.” She had the female lead in just about every play she was ever in, and it seemed like she was chosen to lead every women’s organization she ever joined. At the University of Texas, she was the female lead and Pat Hingle was the male lead. He was later the famous judge in Hang ‘Em High starring Clint Eastwood.

Wherever she went, Burdina was an orator who was frequently asked to deliver readings to large gatherings of people. In Austin, Burdina obtained her master’s degree. She was a teacher on public television whose lessons were broadcast daily to the entire Austin public school system.

Most importantly, Burdina was a person with a special gift of faith and devotion to Jesus Christ. This was clearly evident in her love for her husband (known as “Ralph” in the north, and as “Bun” south of the Mason-Dixon line) and in her love for family. She instilled that faith in her children and grandchildren. Burdina was a cheerleader, literally in college, then for her husband and two sons, for her entire family, and for everyone who ever knew her. Her faith was evident in the quiet confidence she passed to others telling them, “I believe in you; you can do this!”

Those who received that teaching include her two sons, Robert (Marilyn) and Kenneth (Kimberly) and nine grandchildren: Stephen Bobbitt (Whitney), Kristin Siegel (Alex), Michael Bobbitt, Lauren Bobbitt, Katherine Bobbitt, Jennifer Bobbitt, Tiffany Ezell (Thomas), Nathaniel Bobbitt (Adrianna), Lillian Bobbitt, and four great-grandchildren (Zoey, Brooks, Rhett and Vivienne). Burdina’s husband, Ralph A. Bobbitt, passed away in 2014.

Burdina had a pioneering spirit. She was not fearful or timid. Burdina came from a family that loved learning, adventure and challenges -- people who were cowboys, settlers and migrants. She was fascinated by tales of the frontier. She always wanted to see the world and loved to travel.

As a professor at Graceland University, Burdina passed her love for adventure on through the stories that she taught her students in literature classes. She passed on her own gift for public speaking to many students as well.

To learn more about this fascinating person named Burdina Bobbitt, please join us in a celebration of her life.