Was a member of the Children of God religious cult when he met the woman who would become his wife, Vivian, from Anamosa, Iowa, who had just joined the cult, founded by
David Berg.
Vivian Lynn Shillander and Robert' family would grow steadily. First came
Mahaleel John Shillander in 1974 in Spokane, Washington. Next came
April May Shillander and
Caleb David Shillander, also born in Spokane. As the cult moved them overseas, little
Francisco Javier Shillander was born in Valencia, Spain. And bringing up the rear, at this time, was
Jan David Shillander, whose birth name was "Jangtje",being born in Ostend, Belgium. By the time the family moved to Bangkok, Thailand, the marriage was in trouble and Vivian wanted out of the sick abuses of the cult as well as the spousal abuse from Richard. In her escape, she was only able to take the youngest child with her, but did not forget about the other four children left behind with Richard. She secured a legal team to help her get custody of the children and brought along a news team from America to document the confrontation. Vivian had a court order declaring that all the children should go with her to avoid the excesses of the cults obsession of abusing children sexually and calling it a divine right. The children all returned home with their Mother and were very confused as to who or what to believe anymore. Eventually, all children made a fresh start in America with clearer minds.