Bob was born on March 29,1927, at home in Omaha, Nebraska. His dad had a job
as a machinist in a truck factory. A day nurse was hired to care for Bob and his
mother. The Great Depression soon hit, the truck factory closed, and despair and
poverty set in. The mindset became “If you want it, you build it yourself or fix an
old one.” Bob’s dad and mom never owned a new car or house. In fact, they were
married over 30 years before they bought their first new washing machine. The
goal when buying a used care was to drive it over 100,000 miles and have it look
better when he sold it than when he bought it.
Bob received his public school education in Benson, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska.
He was baptized into Jesus Christ on November 16, 1941, at the Benson Church of
Christ by his preacher who in 1946 became his brother-in-law. In January 1945 he
graduated from high school and in the same month enrolled in Restoration Bible
College in San Antonio, Texas. By the time he was 19 he had lived through the
great Depression and World War II.
On June 3, 1946, dad married his college sweetheart, Cecil Mabel Grice, in her
home church in Cleveland, Minnesota. To this union was born five sons: Daniel
who married Debra Judd, Mark who married Carla Parker, Philip who married
June Fisher, Thomas who married Brenda Wallace, and Timothy who married Julie
McClarnon. Bob officiated all of those weddings.
Bob was preceded in death by his first wife of 74 years, Cecil, who died in 2021,
his parents, one brother, Cleo, who was born in 1923 and died in 1925, a sister,
Jean, who was born in 1928 and died in 1997, and sister, Doris, born in 1919 and
died some years after sister Jean. He is survived by his wife, Denise, his five sons,
grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Bob started preaching while in high school and had a student ministry beginning in
January 1946 in Marble Falls, Texas. In July of 1946, after their marriage, Bob an
Cecil began preaching in Humboldt, Kansas. Ministries that followed were
Council Grove, Kansas, Francesville, Indiana, Webster City and Council Bluffs,
Iowa, and Lamar, Missouri. In 1969 Bob and Cecil returned to Iowa for the rest of
their active ministry in Waterloo, Iowa, a second ministry in Webster City,
Indianola, Melcher and Mondamin, Iowa. When Bob and Cecil retired and moved
to Joplin in August of 1999, they had lived in a parsonage for 47 years. Dad had
also been to Christian Service Camp as a student or leader for 47 years. Since
moving to Joplin Bob and Cecil had several interim ministries in Missouri,
Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Bob enrolled in Ozark Bible College in 1947 and graduated in 1950 with a
Bachelor of Arts Degree. He enrolled in Lincoln Christian Seminary in 1954 and
received his Master of Arts Degree in 1956. Bob was selected as the first President
of the Alumni Association of OBC in 1952 and served again in that office in 1968.
In 1987 he received the Seth Wilson Outstanding Alumnus Award from Ozark and
that same year the Outstanding Servant Leadership Award from the Iowa Christian
Convention. He served on the Board of Trustees of Minnesota Bible College from
1960 to 1967. Bob was actively involved in the new church planting mission in
Iowa called the Christian Evangelistic Mission. He personally edited, printed and
mailed the Mission monthly paper called “The Church Builder” for 25 years. He
served many years as the manager of the Northeast Iowa Christian Camp at
Bristow, Iowa. Bob always participated in the Ministerial Association wherever he
lived. He was the Secretary/Treasurer for the Waterloo Kiwanis Club for 9 years.
The North American Christian Convention was always on the family’s vacation.
Bob served on the Convention Continuation Committee for six years.
Bob married Denise Crane on September 28, 2021. Bob died in Norfolk, Nebraska
(while on a trip to visit Denise’s sister) on September 19, 2022. Memorial gifts
may be made to Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO.