By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mr. Junker

SPRINGFIELD TWP. - Robert C. "Bobby" Junker, father of four girls and a beloved coach in St. Vivian Parish, Finneytown, died Tuesday in an early-morning single-car accident on southbound Interstate 71.

Mr. Junker, 42, of Springfield Township, was en route to his job as a tax manager at Fifth Third Bank downtown.

Tuesday was the first day since taking the job six weeks ago that he had driven to work. He usually parked his car at Brentwood Shopping Center and took a bus downtown, according to Debbie Cassinelli of Glendale, a family friend.

Mr. Junker, a certified public accountant, searched for a year before taking the job at Fifth Third. His previous company had relocated to Texas. He declined a position there, saying that uprooting his daughters from St. Vivian was unthinkable.

The loss of Mr. Junker continues to be deeply felt in his community.

"He meant a lot to a lot of people," said Karen Perdix of College Hill, Mr. Junker's sister-in-law. "Whether you knew him an hour or his whole life you knew he was one of the good ones."

With four sisters and four daughters, "Bobby knew how to treat women and live with women," Cassinelli said. "He was just a fabulous father. He couldn't have been more devoted to his daughters and his wife, Mary."

Engrossed in their daughters' lives, Mr. Junker and his wife coached their volleyball and basketball teams at St. Vivian.

"He wasn't a dad that just watched sports games and now and then went to" one of their events, Cassinelli said.

He was similarly devoted to the teams he coached.

"All the kids at St. Vivian's have nicknames because of Bobby," said Cassinelli. "He coached hard but he also knew what was important."

A fine athlete, Mr. Junker was a starter on the varsity basketball team during his freshman year at Roger Bacon High School.

His athleticism was a family trait. He and his father, Ed, also a Roger Bacon athlete, shared a Hank Zurieck/Buddy LaRosa Sports Tribute in 1977 with Ed's brother Tom, and his son, Tommy.

Mr. Junker played for Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., on a basketball scholarship. After receiving a bachelor's degree, he went on to earn an M.B.A from Xavier University, where he developed a strong allegiance to Muskies basketball.

On Sunday night he and his family attended the sports banquet for McAuley High School's basketball team. His daughter Elizabeth, 15, who tied for the most rebounds, was named the most valuable freshman player.

"He didn't make a million dollars," Cassinelli said. "But he worked hard and he knew it was more important to be with his kids on Saturdays and at night. To me that's his legacy - his four daughters."

Survivors include his wife of 16 years, Mary Bunch Junker; three other daughters, Annie, 13, and twins Grace and Catherine, 10, all at home; his parents, Ed and Ruth Junker of St. Bernard; and four sisters, Jeanne Wietmarschen of Lebanon, Patty McDonald of Harrison, and Donna Resch and Peggy Rose, both of Delhi Township.

Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m. today at Hodapp Funeral Home, 6041 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. Mass of Christian burial is 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Vivian Church, 7600 Winton Road in Finneytown. Burial is at St. Mary's Cemetery in St. Bernard.

Memorials: Robert C. Junker Family Education Foundation, c/o any Fifth Third Bank.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com