ROANOKE, Va. – One of the men behind the Mill Mountain Star’s creation is crediting his life’s success to the family he loves deeply, including his late wife.
Robert Bob Kinsey, 98, was just 24 years old when he, his brothers, and his father completed the massive steel-framed star that is now an icon in Roanoke.
They were approached by the city due to his father’s very successful neon sign company.
“1949 was the heyday of neon signage in the city of Roanoke,” Kinsey said. “Roanoke was where you had to go for anything, whether it was eating or to buy anything, to catch a show at the theater.”
Kinsey said the city was preparing for the Christmas season when the Retail Merchants of Association and Chamber of Commerce were interested in creating something.
“They wanted to do something different for the Christmas season in 1949,” Kinsey said. “On Mill Mountain, we were considering the size and what we wanted to do, and we chose the Star. At the time we were very capable of creating something like that, so the engineering of the size of it and how it came to be, and how it had to be constructed to withstand the weather were key factors. It is 73 years old now, so it has proven to do so.”
But this is not the only historic sign attached to the Bob Kinsey name.
He started Bob Kinsey Enterprises, which was another sign company, and he ran it for 21 years.
Kinsey has made hundreds of signs that are still standing today throughout the Commonwealth for different churches, businesses, and more.
He was inspired by the hard work of his father, Roy C. Kinsey Sr., who was recognized as a businessman at the young age of 15.
“His personality and work ethic were something of unusual nature, and I want to give him the credit for what we did and what we accomplished,” Kinsey said. “He was quite the man. Unusual. Soft-spoken. Kind. Thoughtful. Talented.”
He also credits his successful life to the love of his life who he met during a private flight.
“I got my pilot’s license, and I was going to take her brother up for a spin in the plane on a Sunday, and when he came to join me at the airport, he brought her with him, so I took him and her brother up for a flight, and I started dating her the next day,” he laughed. “We knew each other growing up as neighbors through elementary school but we didn’t date until that day.”
His love for Lois Kinsey is a reminder every time he looks at the Mill Mountain Star.
“We went on a date, and I drove her up there,” Kinsey said. “It was Christmas Eve, and they were going to dedicate the Star. I proposed to my wife under the Star. It was the best main decision I have ever made in my life.”
Kinsey said it was her smile and her love for others that attracted him. He said she was a great mother to their two daughters as well. Sadly, Lois passed away on December 15, 2022, at age 96 from Dementia.
He has never changed the calendar from that date in honor of his wife who he says he misses dearly.
Kinsey said no matter what, he hopes his ups and downs in life, losses and gains in life and his drive to keep the legacy of Lois alive encourages others to never take life for granted.
“The story, I guess, is that to be thankful for the Lord who has provided all the opportunities you have had and the glory of what the world is like,” Kinsey said. “Be thankful for our country and our founders and what their dream was to see it come to fruition.”
He hopes this message continues to shine bright, just like his Star for years to come.