Remembering 'Bobbie-Lou,' An Irrepressible Leader

One of America's finest bar association executives and a true civic leader has passed on.
And we mourn her passing.
Bobbie Lou Nailling-Files was also one of the most vivid and vivacious personalities we have ever known. You always knew when Bobbie Lou was on the premises. She was an irrepressible colleague, an accomplished professional and a dynamic leader.
Roberta Louise ("Bobbie Lou") Nailling-Files, of Kansas City, Missouri, died January 9, 2011, in Jacksonville, Florida, at the age of 70, following a rich and joyous life. Bobbie Lou was born March 29, 1940, in Memphis, Tennessee, to R. L. ("Mike") and Edna Nailling. Bobbie Lou and Richard Files married on January 9, 1983. 
They enjoyed traveling, antiquing, and spending time at their lake house at Table Rock Lake. Bobbie Lou served as the Executive Director of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association for thirty years, from 1970 until her retirement in 2000. 
Bobbie Lou's inimitable spirit, boundless energy, and creativity resulted in the growth of the KCMBA during her stewardship into a volunteer professional association with over 5,000 members. She single handedly promoted a congenial working relationship between the Kansas City Bench and Bar that encouraged joint discussions, problem solving, and communications designed to enhance the administration of justice. 
After her retirement as the Executive Director of the KCMBA, Bobbie Lou served as the Executive Director of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation until 2006, and was instrumental in transforming the Foundation into a thriving charitable arm of the Bar. Bobbie Lou was preceded in death by her daddy and mother, and by her beloved husband, Richard Files, who died on August 13, 2003. Bobbie Lou is survived by her loving daughter and son, Cary Leigh Powers, Kansas City, Missouri, and Robert Todd Powers, Kimberling City, Missouri, her beloved granddaughter and grandson, Stephanie Brooke Powers and fiance Nathan Fields, Chicago, Illinois, and Justin Raymond Powers, Independence, Missouri, and her adorable poodle Sophie D.O.G. 
She is also survived by her sister Virginia Ann Nailling Nooyen, Memphis, Tennessee, cousin Mary Ann Williams, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and precious goddaughter Catherine Ann Dorsey, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Bobbie Lou treasured her friends, and thrived on their company. She lived her life to the fullest, always open to new adventures and opportunities. 
Despite experiencing significant health issues during her final years, Bobbie Lou refused to quit, and demonstrated the same charmingly stubborn resolve and courage that permitted a little girl from Arkansas to become one of the most respected and accomplished Bar Executives in the country. Friends are invited to celebrate and to pay tribute to Bobbie Lou's life on Saturday, January 15, 2011, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., with remarks at 6:00 p.m., at the Mission Hills Country Club, 5400 Mission Drive, Mission Hills, Kansas. 
Donations are preferred in lieu of flowers, and may be made in Bobbie Lou's name to either: Wayside Waifs, 3901 Martha Truman Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64137, or the Nailling Society/Richard Files Law Scholarship, with checks payable to UMKC School of Law, and mailed to UMKC Foundation, 229 Administration Center, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64110-2499.