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Robert Raymond Gruber |
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February 4, 1926 ~ July 19, 2017 |
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On Wednesday, July 19, 2017, following a brief
illness, Robert Raymond Gruber, 91, was called
home to his family. Visitation will be at
Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home on
Wednesday, July 26, from 5 to 7 p.m., with
Rosary following at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass will be
held by Father Richard Kluk at 11 a.m.
Thursday, July 27, at St. Joseph Catholic
Church, with interment and military honors
immediately following.
A descendant of Montana homesteaders, Bob was
born in Townsend to Edward and Dora Gruber on
February 4, 1926. The sixth of nine children,
Bob attended Riverside School District 31, in
Crow Creek Valley near Toston. District 31 was a
one-room school house with eight students. Six
were Grubers.
He graduated high school in Boulder in 1943,
worked briefly for Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank,
California, and enlisted in the Navy in 1944.
His service in WWII was on the USS Hammondsport,
a freighter operating in the South Pacific. He
was honorably discharged in 1946. Several years
were spent on road construction in Idaho and
Montana. It was while working on U.S. Highway 93
near Salmon, Idaho, that he met his first wife,
Frances Joan Bartlett. They had four children;
Terri, Cathy, Roger and Jeff.
In 1964 the family settled in Libby and Bob
started up Granite Concrete Company. With
longtime business partner George Oldham, he
operated Granite Concrete until retirement in
1983. Bob married Lois Ochsner in Kalispell in
1979. Lois owned and operated This 'n That in
downtown Libby and Bob assisted as unofficial
Maytag delivery man for many years.
A lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus and
the Elks Lodge, he also enjoyed the motor home,
skiing, antiques, garage sales and was a regular
at the Sater Auction in Bonners Ferry.
An engineer at heart, Bob remained a highway
superintendent, bridge inspector and mechanic of
all moving parts his entire life. His last years
and days were lived in the home and wildlife
sanctuary he created in Libby.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ed and
Dora; brothers Jack, Donald, Bill and Ted,
sisters Alice and Dorothy, and wife Lois.
He is survived by brothers James (Barney) of
Newcastle, California, and Frank of Helena,
Montana, children Terri Gruber of Spokane; Cathy
Gruber Anderson (Jim) of Boise, Roger Gruber of
Havre, Montana, and Jeff Gruber (Doreen) of
Libby; grandchildren Evan, Sherri, Allan, Seth,
Kelsey, Tyson, Trent, Thomas and Emma and four
great-grandchildren.
Arrangements are by Schnackenberg & Nelson
Funeral Home in Libby. Online condolences and
memories may be shared at
www.schnackenbergfh.com. |
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