Robert Larimer

Funeral services for Robert “Bob” Paul Larimer were held on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at the Saints John and Paul Catholic Church in Altoona, IA, with Father Mark McGeary officiating. Interment was in the Altoona Cemetery in Altoona, IA. Hamilton’s Funeral Home, of De Moines, IA, was in charge of arrangements. Bob was born October 20, 1935, in Valentine, NE, the only child of Paul Everett and Marie Alvina Larimer. From third grade through high school Bob lived with his grandmother and his aunts and uncles in Burke, SD, while his parents worked as domestic servants in the Chicago area and later ranched near Valentine, NE. He graduated from Burke High School in the class of 1954 and was a graduate of the University of South Dakota with a bachelor of science in education degree in 1967. He was a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

He married Delores Ruybalid in Montrose, CO, on December 31, 1957. They had one child, Robert Keith, and later divorced. On September 4, 1965, he and Virginia Pederson married at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gregory, SD. Three children were born to this marriage: Caprice, Gina and Eric.

Following high school and a year at USD, Bob joined his parents in Colorado and worked in the uranium industry, first as a land surveyor and then in mine safety for Union Carbide. After returning to USD to finish his degree, he taught boys junior high physical education in Oelwein, IA for nine years. While teaching, Bob had a reputation as a strict disciplinarian and his students soon began to refer to him as “Colonel Bob”. Often when they met in later life, they still called him Colonel Bob, but with fondness, great respect and appreciation. After teaching, Bob joined his wife as an agent for American Family Insurance, retiring at the end of 2000. In 2019 the couple moved to Altoona, IA.

Bob had been active in athletics throughout his life. In high school he was a basketball standout and held the school records in track and field for many years. He enjoyed playing baseball, slow pitch, and bowling. He enjoyed trap shooting, table tennis and pool. He had maintained a daily physical training regimen until just two years before his passing. Motorcycling was a long-time interest for Bob, and Oelwein folks will recall him riding his red Honda Silver Wing around town. The children treasure the memory of trips on the motorcycle to Backbone Park as youngsters. Bob and his family enjoyed playing 10-point pitch and cribbage. He was a private pilot and owned a vintage Ercoupe. Bob also sang in church choirs most of his life.

He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oelwein, IA, where he served on the parish council and Saints John and Paul Catholic Church in Altoona, IA. Bob was a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the Oelwein Rotary Club, serving as president and was treasurer for many years, and a member of the Oelwein Airport Commission.

He passed away on September 19, 2024, at the age of 88 years and eleven months, at the Altoona Nursing and Rehabilitation Home in Altoona, IA, assisted by Care Initiatives Hospice after years facing the challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease.

He was preceded in death by his parents Paul and Alvina; his son Keith Saunders; and his in-laws Elvin and Louise Pederson.

Surviving is his wife of 59 years, Virginia, and their children and grandchildren: Caprice and Doug Musty of Anchorage, AK, and their children Andromeda, Jack and Patience; Gina Bessman and children Noah, Jane and Caleb of Mesa, AZ, and Eric and Mary Ann Larimer and son Gavin of Des Moines, IA.

Online condolences may be sent to www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com.